Red Sox gave former ace Roger Clemens a heartwarming moment with his son

BOSTON — Visiting players don’t usually catch ceremonial first pitches, but this was a special occasion on Friday at Fenway Park.

Former Red Sox ace Roger Clemens threw a ceremonial fastball to his son Kody Clemens, who was the Twins starting right fielder on Friday at Fenway Park.

Roger Clemens wore a Fenway green Red Sox jersey with a signature Rocket Man patch below his right shoulder. On the back was his traditional No. 21 with Rocket Man on the name plate.

He had a white cap with a 21 in the primary logo spot and a Red Sox B on the side. He threw a strike.

“A little two-seamer. Didn’t slip, didn’t tear anything,” said the 63-year-old right hander. “Home plate seems to get further and further away every year. It’s like the Ted Williams seat. It keeps going up one row every year.”

The first 7,500 fans at Fenway got Roger Clemens bobbleheads commemorating his two 20-strikeout games. The 40th anniversary of the first one, which came April 29, 1986, just passed.

The Red Sox waited to mark that occasion until Friday so it could come on a day when Kody Clemens would be on the other side.

“It’s been a fun day. It’s always fun to come back. I love that the Red Sox postponed it until this date so we could all come home and watch Kody a little bit,” said Clemens, who had a lot of friends and family in the park. “I’ve got a pretty busy summer so this was a nice treat.”

Kody Clemens is in his fifth major league season and his second with the Twins.

“To see him where I made my living,” Clemens said. “He’s done two things that I never will. He struck out (Shohei) Ohtani and hit a home run at Fenway.”

The game marked the second straight Friday that the Red Sox faced and descendent of a franchise legend. Mike Yastrzemski, grandson of Carl Yastrzemski had a walkoff against the Red Sox in Atlanta last week. The Braves will be in Boston on tuesday.

Clemens’ visit also coincides with a charitable event he’s doing for the Jimmy Fund and the Roger Clemens Foundation. Fans can bid on an hour of batting practice against Clemens at Fenway Park. Bidding starts on Saturday at 3:10 p.m. (an hour before the second game of this series) by calling 877-738-1234.

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