Cy Young Profile: Roger Clemens, 1987

Pitcher, Boston Red Sox

 

Age:  25 (Aug. 4)

4^th season with Red Sox

Bats – Right, Throws – Right

Height: 6’4”    Weight: 205

Prior to 1987:

A native of Ohio who moved to Texas in high school, Clemens attended San Jacinto Junior College, which had a strong baseball program, before moving on to the University of Texas, passing up a contract offer from the New York Mets, who drafted him as an amateur in 1981. He was a power-pitching member of the Texas squad that won the 1983 College World Series before signing with the Red Sox, who made him a first round draft pick that year. The highly driven Clemens climbed readily through Boston’s minor league system and joined the parent club in 1984. Somewhat unsteady as a rookie, Clemens compiled a 9-4 record with a 4.32 ERA and was shut down in September due to a tendon injury in his pitching arm. Several injuries marred his 1985 season that concluded with surgery on his right shoulder after posting a 7-5 record with 3.29 ERA in just 15 starts. In his fourth start of the 1986 season against Seattle, Clemens struck out a record 20 batters and set the stage for a dominating season in which he went 24-4 and led the AL in ERA (2.48) while compiling 238 strikeouts in 254 innings pitched. The Red Sox topped the AL East and won the pennant, although losing to the New York Mets in the World Series. Clemens was pulled from his Game 6 start after eight innings due to a blister on his right hand and the Red Sox blew a 3-2 lead and lost in excruciating fashion in the tenth inning, setting the stage for the Mets to win the Series in seven games. Still, Clemens ended up as the American League MVP and Cy Young Award winner.

1987 Season Summary

Appeared in 36 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate AL rank in Top 20]

Pitching

Games – 36

Games Started – 36 [5, tied with Jimmy Key, Frank Viola & Mike Witt]

Complete Games – 18 [1]

Wins – 20 [1, tied with Dave Stewart]

Losses – 9

PCT - .690 [1]

Saves – 0

Shutouts – 7 [1]

Innings Pitched – 281.2 [2]

Hits – 248 [5]

Runs – 100

Earned Runs – 93

Home Runs – 19

Bases on Balls – 83 [20]

Strikeouts – 256 [2]

ERA – 2.97 [3]

Hit Batters – 9 [5, tied with Bert Blyleven & Mike Smithson]

Balks – 3 [8, tied with six others]

Wild Pitches – 4

 

League-leading complete games were +3 ahead of runners-up Bruce Hurst & Bret Saberhagen

League-leading win percentage was +.006 ahead of runner-up Tommy John

League-leading shutouts were +3 ahead of runner-up Bret Saberhagen

Midseason Snapshot: 8-6, ERA - 3.66, SO - 120 in 145 IP

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Most strikeouts, game – 14 (in 9 IP) vs. Seattle 7/26

10+ strikeout games – 9

Fewest hits allowed, game – 2 (in 9 IP) vs. Milwaukee 10/4

Fielding

Chances – 40

Put Outs – 15

Assists – 25

Errors – 0

DP – 1

Pct. - 1.000

Awards & Honors:

AL Cy Young Award: BBWAA

19^th in AL MVP voting (7 points, 2% share)

AL Cy Young voting (Top 5):

Roger Clemens, Bos.: 124 pts. – 21 of 28 first place votes, 89% share

Jimmy Key, Tor.: 64 pts. – 4 first place votes, 46% share

Dave Stewart, Oak.: 32 pts. – 2 first place votes, 23% share

Doyle Alexander, Det.: 8 pts. – 1 first place vote, 6% share

Mark Langston, Sea.: 7 pts. – 5% share

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Red Sox went 78-84 to finish fifth in the AL Eastern Division, 20 games behind the division-winning Detroit Tigers while the pitching staff lead the league in complete games (47), shutouts (13), and hits allowed (1584). Clemens briefly walked out on the club during spring training over a contract dispute and got off to a slow 4-6 start before returning to form. The Red Sox were out of contention by June and unloaded some veteran players as part of a youth movement which led to a .500 second-half record and provided hope for the future.

Aftermath of ‘87:

“The Rocket” spent nine more seasons with the Red Sox, often highlighted by controversy both on and off the field. Boston returned to the top of the AL East in 1988 and Clemens contributed an 18-12 record, 2.93 ERA, and led the league in strikeouts (291), complete games (14), and shutouts (8). He led the AL in ERA for three straight years from 1990 to ’92 and won a third Cy Young Award in 1991 with an 18-10 tally, 2.62 ERA, 241 strikeouts, and 271.1 innings pitched. His performance slipped thereafter as his record dropped to 11-14 with a 4.46 ERA in 1993, and after a fair year in 1994, he slipped badly again in ’95. Clemens had another 20-strikeout single-game performance in 1996 on his way to a 10-13 record with a league-leading 257 strikeouts. “The Rocket” signed a three-year free agent contract worth $24.75 million with the Toronto Blue Jays in 1997 and won the AL Cy Young Award that year with a fifth-place team that went 76-86 and again in 1998, when he was 20-6 and topped the circuit in ERA (2.65) and strikeouts (271). The Blue Jays rose to third at 88-74 and Clemens requested a trade to a contending team and was dealt to the New York Yankees just prior to the ’99 season. Clemens spent five years with the Yanks, who won three AL pennants and two World Series titles during that time. “The Rocket” won another Cy Young Award in 2001 and compiled 77 wins in all during that period. Hinting at retirement in 2003, he moved on to the Houston Astros as a free agent in 2004 and had an 18-4 record with a 2.98 ERA and received a seventh Cy Young Award. At age 43 in 2005, he led the NL with a 1.87 ERA as the Astros won the league pennant for the first time in franchise history. Clemens re-signed with Houston in ’06 and ended up with a 7-6 record and 2.30 ERA while the club failed to reach the postseason. Clemens returned to the Yankees for one final year in 2007. He later returned to organized baseball in 2012 at the age of 50, appearing with the Sugar Land Skeeters of the independent Atlantic League. He started two games and had no decisions.  Overall, in the major leagues he had a 354-184 record and 3.12 ERA with 4672 strikeouts over the course of 4916.2 innings. In the postseason he was 12-8 with a 3.75 ERA and 173 strikeouts. His numbers with Boston alone were 192-111 with a 3.06 ERA and 2590 strikeouts. Controversy erupted over his alleged use of performance-enhancing drugs during the later stages of his career, thus far keeping him from achieving election to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

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Cy Young Profiles feature pitchers who were recipients of the Cy Young Award by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (1956 to present). The award was presented to a single major league winner from its inception through 1966 and from 1967 on to one recipient from each major league.