Clemens' Historic 20-Strikeout Game

0:00On April 29th, 40 years ago, Roger Clemens made baseball history at Fenway Park. On April 29th, 1986, the 23-year-old Red Sox pitcher struck out 20 Seattle Mariners in a 9-in-1 game. It was the first time anyone did that, with no walks and just three hits allowed. Boston won 3-1 on a cold night. Clemens dealt with a bad headache all day after a rain out pushed his start back two days. Fresh off shoulder surgery the year before, he still dominated from the jump, fanning the side in the first inning. His fastball and curve had the Mariners swinging at air. Fans and teammates buzzed as the strikeouts piled up, hitting 12 by the 5th. A reporter even left early for a Celtics game, missing the magic. Seattle grabbed a 1-0 lead on a homer, but Dwight Evans answered with a 3-run shot to flip the score. In the late innings, Clemens tied and broke Red Sox records with 17 and then 18 strikeouts. The small crowd of just over 13,000 roared like it was full.

1:00He sealed number 20 on the final batter he faced, sending the place into a frenzy. That night launched Clemens into legend status, earning him the rocket nickname. He matched his own feet a decade later, and a few others like Kerry Wood, Randy Johnson and Max Scherzer hit 20 cents, but Clemens owns being first. Baseball news, powered by AI. This is MLB News Today.