Roger Clemens

The Rocket works out sometimes for five hours a day when he doesn't pitches. New faces include starters David Wells, Wade Miller, Matt Clement and John Halama, and reliever Matt Mantei. Roger Clemens is famous for his extraordinary dedication to keeping himself in the best physical condition he possibly can. In 2005 Varitek will work with a revamped pitching staff, after Boston added five new pitchers to its roster. During the 2005 season, Roger Clemens is the 6th highest paid player in Major League Baseball at $18,000,022.00. During the regular season, Wakefield is caught almost exclusively by Doug Mirabelli. His son Koby, 18, was drafted by the Astros as a catcher on July 14, 2005. Varitek has one notorious weakness, which is catching for knuckleballer Tim Wakefield; in the 2004 American League Championship Series, Varitek suffered three passed balls in a single inning (the 13th) of Game 5, with Wakefield on the mound.

They have 4 sons: Koby Clemens, Kory, Kacy, and Kody ("K" is a baseball scorer's notation for "strikeout"). Varitek, who helped lead his team to its first World Series victory in 86 years, is valued for his ability to work with pitchers, using scouting reports and video footage to plan each game. Clemens married Debra Godfrey on November 24, 1984. Carl Yastrzemski (1969-83) and Jim Rice (1986-89) have been the only two captains. Clemens was fined $50,000. Varitek will only be the third captain in Red Sox history. (Ironically, he was only one of two major leaguers who refused to cross the picket line when the umpires later went on strike.) In the 1st inning of Game 2 of the 2000 World Series, Clemens threw a piece of a shattered bat out of his way and, as New York Mets' Mike Piazza claimed, directly at Piazza, clearing both benches. In addition to tendering him a contract, the Red Sox surprised Varitek by making him team captain.

Clemens was suspended for the first 5 games of the 1991 season and fined $10,000. Varitek completes his 8th year in September 2005. On October 10, 1990 he was ejected in the 2nd inning of an ALCS game for cursing at home plate umpire Terry Cooney. Instead, the Red Sox offered him a $40 million contract over 4 years (including signing bonus), and instituted a new policy whereby any player who accrues 8 continuous years on the team may not be traded without his consent. His storied temper has gotten him into hot water more than once. Varitek initially asked for $55 million over 5 years and a no-trade clause; however, due to the "most favored nation" structure of existing Red Sox contracts, other members of the team such as Manny Ramirez and Trot Nixon would receive the same no-trade protection granted in any new contracts. He has 169 SOs, and a MLB-best 1.57 ERA. After the World Series, Varitek became a free agent and re-signed with the Boston Red Sox on December 24.

During that time they were shut out eight times. Varitek had played in 1984, for Altamonte Springs, Florida. Through September 4, Clemens has an 11-6 record despite ranking 95th in run support, with the Astros scoring 3.57 runs on average in games in which was the pitcher of record. Louis Cardinals' Jason Marquis, the first time two former Little League World Series participants have faced each other in the Major League Baseball World Series. Currently, Clemens is in the midst of having the finest season of his career, and could post baseball's lowest single-season ERA since Bob Gibson in 1968. In the 2004 World Series, Varitek batted against the St. Only left-hander Warren Spahn is ahead of Clemens in wins among live-ball pitchers. Iván Rodríguez, Javy López).

On May 9, he finally got his second win of the season against the Florida Marlins, giving him 330 for his career. Although he is 33 years of age, Varitek's late entry into the major leagues means that he has caught fewer games than contemporary catchers in his age cohort (e.g. However, it took him a month to surpass Carlton, as he was victimized by horrendous run support in a string of five starts that produced one loss and four no-decisions. Since he was obtained from Seattle in 1997, he is a .271 hitter with 97 home runs and 418 RBI in 832 games. On April 8, 2005, Clemens won his first start of the season against the Cincinnati Reds, which tied him with Steve Carlton for second in wins for live-ball pitchers. In 2004 Varitek compiled a career-high .296 batting average with 18 home runs and 73 RBI. He has more career wins than any other right-handed pitcher of the live-ball era. In 2001 he was sidelined for the season with a broken elbow after he fell catching a foul ball on July 7.

The deal gave Clemens the highest yearly salary earned by a pitcher in MLB history. He became the Red Sox full-time catcher in 1999, playing 144 games in that season. However, on January 21, 2005 both sides agreed on a one-year, $18m contract, thus avoiding arbitration. Varitek was called up for a single game in 1997 and played 86 games in 1998. The Astros submitted an offer of $13.5m and Clemens countered with a record $22m demand. He was traded with pitcher Derek Lowe to the Red Sox during the 1997 season, in return for reliever Heathcliff Slocumb. Clemens again decided to put off retirement before the 2005 season after the Houston Astros offered salary arbitration. A pioneer of the loopholes in the draft process, Varitek signed with a small team in the independent Northern League before agreeing to terms with the Mariners, and consequently did not enter the Mariners' minor league system until 1995.

This also made him the fourth pitcher to win the award in both leagues, after Gaylord Perry, Pedro Martínez, and Randy Johnson. He was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the first round of the 1994 amateur draft and was the 14th pick overall. He became the oldest player ever to win this award, at age 42. Varitek then went to Georgia Tech, where he was a three-time College Player of the Year, and played in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. After the season, he won his seventh Cy Young Award, extending his record number of awards. The Patriots won the state championship and were later named as the number one team in the nation, by USA Today, in 1990. Clemens had an 18-4 record in 2004, giving him a career record of 328-164. While in high school, he was a member of the Lake Brantley Patriots baseball team located in Altamonte Springs, FL.

On May 5, 2004, Clemens recorded his 4,137th career strikeout to place him second on the all-time list behind Nolan Ryan, and finished the season with 4,317 strikeouts. Jason Andrew Varitek (born April 11, 1972 in Rochester, Michigan), is a switch-hitter, catcher, and captain of the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball. He chose to put off his retirement, signing a one-year deal with his hometown Houston Astros on January 12, 2004, joining close friend and former Yankees teammate Andy Pettitte. His career record upon reaching the milestones was an impressive 300-155; his record at the end of the season was 310-160 with 4,099 strikeouts. He became the 21st pitcher ever to record 300 wins and just the third ever to record 4,000 strikeouts, joining Nolan Ryan (5,714) and Steve Carlton (4,136).

The 300th win came on his fourth try; the Yankee bullpen blew his chance of a win in his previous two attempts. Louis Cardinals in Yankee Stadium, Clemens recorded his 300th career win and 4,000th career strikeout, the first player in history to record both milestones in the same game. On June 13, 2003, pitching against the St. Early in 2003, he announced his retirement, effective at the end of that season.

He finished the season at 20-3 and added another Cy Young Award to his resume. In 2001, he became the first pitcher in history to start a year 20–1. In 1999 and 2000, he won World Series titles with the Yankees. Clemens was traded to the New York Yankees before the 1999 season for David Wells, Homer Bush, and Graeme Lloyd.

In his 2 seasons there, he won the Cy Young both years. After Boston general manager Dan Duquette claimed Clemens was in the "twilight of his career" and opted not to re-sign him following the '96 season, Clemens signed with the Toronto Blue Jays. Remarkably, Clemens accomplished the feat twice; on April 29, 1986 against the Seattle Mariners, and on September 18, 1996 against the Detroit Tigers, more than 10 years later. Randy Johnson also struck out 20 batters in the first 9 innings of a game, but since the game went into extra innings, Johnson was not awarded the record).

Clemens is one of only two pitchers to have thrown 20 strikeouts in a 9-inning major league game (Kerry Wood is the other. "I'd probably crack his head open to show him how valuable I was." Clemens remains the only starting pitcher since Vida Blue in 1971 to win a league MVP award. "I wish he were still playing," Clemens responded. Hall of Fame slugger Hank Aaron angered the hurler by saying that pitchers should not be eligible for the MVP.

In 1986 his 24 wins helped guide the Sox to the World Series (which they lost) and earned Clemens the American League Most Valuable Player award for the regular season and the first of his seven Cy Young Awards (he also won the AL award in 1987, 1991, 1997, 1998 and 2001 and the National League award in 2004). He was drafted 19th overall by the Boston Red Sox, making his major league debut on May 15, 1984. He attended Spring Woods High School in Houston, and was on the mound when the University of Texas won the 1983 College World Series. Clemens spent most of his childhood in Texas.

He throws and bats right-handed. William Roger Clemens (born August 4, 1962 in Dayton, Ohio), nicknamed "The Rocket", is among the preeminent Major League baseball pitchers of the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s.