Roger Clemens recently shared some thoughts about the evolution of baseball broadcasting and the game itself since the 2007 MLB season. He reflected on a recent Yankees game where they won a close match against the Astros, which featured the team’s decision to pull starter Lewis Gill early in the sixth inning.
Although Clemens appreciates many of the recent changes in the sport, he voiced concerns about the trend of shorter outings for starting pitchers. In fact, he proposed a new rule that could help extend the time starters spend on the mound.
“If you want to stop these guys from going just three or four innings and looking over their shoulders, you should tie the designated hitter to the starting pitcher,” he suggested. “If the starting pitcher exits before the seventh inning, you lose your DH. That will change things,” he explained.
The seven-time Cy Young Award winner expressed his support for pitch clocks and the automatic strike zone, as well as the current ability for batters, catchers, or pitchers to challenge calls.
“The challenge system only takes two seconds,” Clemens remarked, emphasizing the efficiency of the process.
He also talked about his innovative approach to calling pitches. “I was doing Pitchcom before it was a thing. I called about 95% of my pitches from the mound,” he noted, addressing how pitchers and catchers now communicate using technology instead of hand signals.
Additionally, during his appearance, he shared some opinions on an upcoming event referred to as “Old Timer’s Day.” Clemens suggested it should be renamed to the “Allum Game,” saying it sounds much better and adding, “I don’t like the term ‘old people.’ We’re not old; we’re not going to grow grass under our feet.”
Clemens also touched upon the story behind wearing No. 22 for the Yankees. Early in his career with the team in 1999, he had to wear No. 12 since his preferred No. 21 was already taken. “They said, ‘You’re not a quarterback, put on 22 and look strong,'” he recalled, as a two-time World Series champion from the Bronx.
