On Monday, Detroit Tigers infielder Kody Clemens had a moment that he will remember forever.
During the game against the Los Angeles Angels, Clemens was given the ball to complete the eighth inning on the mound.
Yes, it was another case of “position player pitching:” the Angels were up by nine runs at that point.
Clemens gave up three hits, but channeled his inner Roger Clemens (his father) and struck out star two-way player Shohei Ohtani with a 68-mph pitch on the outside corner.
Ohtani did not swing: he got him looking, and smiles appeared everywhere.
After the game, Clemens had said it would be cool if Ohtani, whom we considers one of the best players in the game, signed the ball for him.
Ohtani Delivered, As Usual
Well, it looks like Clemens’ wish has been granted.
“Kody Clemens just received his Shohei Ohtani strikeout ball from last night – autographed by the Angels superstar with the inscription: ‘What a nasty pitch!’” MLB editorial producer and writer Adrian Garro tweeted.
Kody Clemens just received his Shohei Ohtani strikeout ball from last night – autographed by the Angels superstar with the inscription:
“What a nasty pitch!”
📸 KodyClemens on Instagram pic.twitter.com/JkiiFS0iTb
— Adrian Garro (@adriangarro) September 6, 2022
It was a very cool gesture by Ohtani and the Angels, and the moment has been immortalized forever in Clemens’ mind and shelf.
The nasty pitch part is probably the funniest part of the whole situation, and it perfectly illustrated Ohtani’s playful personality.
Clemens now has a cool anecdote to tell his grandchildren one day.
Not many players have been able to strike out Ohtani, who has a .891 OPS and 32 home runs as a hitter this season.
He has, to the contrary, struck out many people because he is a “unicorn” with truly unique abilities: as a pitcher, Ohtani has a 2.58 ERA in 136 frames in 2022.
NEXT: Kody Clemens Comments On His Legendary Strikeout