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“DIARY OF A WINNER”
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THE CURSE OF
THE BAMBINO, PART 9 June 6, 1986 ... If he stays healthy, the true value of Roger Clemens is going to be measured in platinum, not gold. The Red Sox ace is now 10-0 and has an American League-leading 98 strikeouts. But his impact transcends mere numbers. While becoming the first 10-game winner in the major leagues, Clemens wasn't nearly as dazzling in a 3-0 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers as he has been in some other outings. But he solidified his position as Boston's stopper with his fifth victory immediately following a Red Sox loss. And his first shutout, a four-hitter, enabled the Sox to stretch their AL East to five games. Not since 1973, when Roger Moret got off to an 11-0 start, has a Red Sox pitcher won at least 10 straight games to begin a season. Ike Delock (1958) and Dave Ferriss (1946) are the only other pitchers in Sox pitchers to start a season 10-0. But none of them threw like Clemens, who recorded the last out of the evening on his 142d pitch, a fastball clocked at 93 miles per hour with which he fanned Rob Deer for the fourth time. Clemens passed the supreme pitching test: He won on a night when Sox manager John McNamara said he didn't have his good stuff. Clemens disagreed with that assessment, but this was no cakewalk. He was nursing a 1-0 lead in a battle with Milwaukee's Danny Darwin until Wade Boggs (.404) doubled in two insurance runs in the eighth. Clemens had to overcome a Brewer lineup with six left-handed hitters. He also had to overcome three Red Sox errors. Primarily, he had to survive with meager offensive support. Boggs drove in all three runs with two hits, including a third-inning single. But the rest of the Sox lineup combined for just three hits, all singles. Clemens wound up with eight strikeouts. But the Brewers are a team that devours fastballs, and he had to beat them with power pitching inside and deft use of his breaking stuff. He had his problems for three innings, threw 37 pitches in the third, when the Brewers put runners on second and third with one out. But he kept them off the board and helped the Red Sox to their sixth victory in seven games. Clemens said he became to find his rhythm and improve his velocity in the fifth or sixth. He ignored the defensive lapses, and was saved by a nice stop by first baseman Bill Buckner in the seventh inning with two out and two men on base. Buckner, who was shaded toward second, fielded a ground ball near the line and threw to Clemens, who was covering. He did his version of the Oil Can Shuffle after making the play at first base. The Sox took the lead in the second inning after a leadoff hit by Gedman. Rey Quinones popped up on a sacrifice attempt. But Marty Barrett walked and Boggs drove in his first run. In the eighth, Quinones walked and moved to second on a single to left by Barrett. Boggs followed with a gap double to right-center, and Clemens did the rest. The fact that he is batting .400 isn't news anymore. Boggs had two more hits and raised his average to .404. |
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