Red Sox: Rick Porcello’s 20th victory rekindles memories
By Tracy Katzke
Roger Clemens
Roger Clemens had a remarkable baseball career, in terms of his longevity and his ability to maintain that high level of performance throughout that longevity. The only comparison that comes to mind is Nolan Ryan.
How much, if any, of Clemens’ success was chemically enhanced is certainly in question, but neither the reader nor I know the answer.
Clemens pitched for 24 years, winning 354 games, losing 184 games and producing a 3.12 ERA. He won an astounding seven Cy Young Awards, and led the league in ERA seven times.
The most amazing stat about Roger Clemens is that he won league ERA titles nearly two decades apart. He won the AL ERA title in 1986 with Boston at age 23, posting a 2.48 value. He won the NL ERA title in 2005 with the Houston Astros at age 42, posting a 1.87 value.
Roger Clemens won 20 games on six separate occasions and thrice in Boston. In 1986, 1987, and 1990, Clemens won 24, 20, and 21 games, respectively, as a Red Sox hurler.
Clemens is a member of the 4000 strikeout club, a club that includes only four members, Clemens, Steve Carlton, Randy Johnson, and Nolan Ryan.
Next: Red Sox pitching staff is AL's best since All-Star break
While the impetus for this article was Porcello’s 20th win of the 2016 campaign, I hope the readers enjoyed learning about this segment of Red Sox history as much as I did.