Let’s stir the pot a little. When does this guy right here get his plaque in Cooperstown? Roger Clemens was hands down one of the most dominant pitchers of the 1980s and 1990s. Today is the 38th anniversary of Clemens’ first 20-strikeout game against the Seattle Mariners on April 29, 1986, which established a new Major League record. Clemens would go on to throw another 20-K game a decade later against the Tigers in 1996. Nobody from the era – not Gooden, nor Maddux, nor even the great Randy Johnson – had a single 20-strikeout game in their career, let alone two. Clemens’ other stats speak for themselves – 7-time Cy Young winner, AL MVP in 1986, 5 strikeout crowns and a couple World Series rings. How can the greatest pitcher of a generation NOT be in the Hall of Fame? Or do you feel otherwise? Should someone be kept out because of accusations and because he had a reputation as a not very nice guy? But let’s just think about this for a second. What kind of Hall of Fame doesn’t have its all-time hits leader, all-time homerun king and all-time Cy Young wins leader enshrined? Is it in the best interest of fans and the sport to banish players from places of honor when everything they did on the field still counts? It’s a tough conversation but one worth having. Where do you stand?
On September 18, 1987, veteran Tigers slugger #DarrellEvans etched his name into the record books. In a tight 7–6 win over the Milwaukee Brewers, Evans
On September 18, 1984, Sparky Anderson’s Detroit Tigers sealed their dominance over the American League East with a 3-0 shutout against the Milwaukee Brewers. Rookie
