BOSTON - Of the 13,414 people who walked into Fenway Park on April 29, 1986, how many thought they'd be seeing anything historic? The Red Sox weren't anything special yet that year, and the Mariners were even worse. Plus, some young pitcher was starting for the Red Sox. Roger something. Only 20 career victories. What could happen?
Did the first historic thoughts start in the first inning, when the young Red Sox pitcher struck out the side? Probably not. It was only the first inning, after all. They might not have even started by the end of the third, when he had six strikeouts and hadn't allowed a base runner. There have been a lot of young pitchers who could get through a major league lineup unscathed the first time through. Let's see what happens when they come up the second time.
The single to lead off the fourth probably didn't do much for the fans' confidence. There may have been one or two who turned to their friends and jokingly said "there goes the no-hitter." But this young pitcher - what's his last name? Clemens? - struck out the side again, including a gift strike out after his first baseman had dropped a foul pop up.
When he struck out the side again in the fifth, maybe the questions started. What's the record for a game? 18? 19? It's 19? He's at 12, so... wow. He could really do this.
By the sixth, perhaps fans were actually getting disappointed when the Mariners hit the ball. Two more fanned to start the inning before a fly out ended the string of strike outs at 8 in a row. Two more started the seventh, putting him at 16, when the home run was hit.
Wait, that doesn't seem right. Gods do not give up home runs. And that's what Clemens was, at least on this night, a baseball god. Perhaps he gave up the home run to increase the degree of difficulty. Or, perhaps when you're firing 96 mile-per-hour fastballs all game long, somebody is eventually going to time one. It happens. But pitchers with 16 strike outs aren't supposed to lose 1-0.
The Red Sox scored three in the bottom of the 7th, putting aside any fears of a loss. There's no way Clemens was giving up two more runs today. By the eighth, the fans were standing and cheering every strike, with two more coming in the eighth. He was up to 18. One to go.
The two that came in the ninth must have seemed like a foregone conclusion at that point. There was no way anybody was stopping the Rocket tonight. Even though the last batter ruined the moment a little by grounding out to short, Clemens had his 20 strike outs.
The best part about sports in general, and baseball in particular, is that you never know when you'll see history. You can go to a game on a random April evening not expecting much of anything and end up walking out of the stadium bearing witness to something that will never be forgotten.
Perhaps inspired by that record-breaking performance, Clemens went on to post a 24-4 record in 1986, winning the Cy Young and MVP awards and leading Boston to the World Series. What happened then is a story for another day. But April 29, 1986, will always be the day that Clemens announced his presence to American League hitters, and he stayed relevant for 20 years. And the Red Sox fans had a moment they'd never forget.
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