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New York Times
5 days ago
- Business
- New York Times
After ‘surprise' DFA, Kody Clemens quickly made Twins' clubhouse feel like home
TAMPA, Fla. — Whether it's dominating Brooks Lee with aces in ping-pong, telling the team's relief pitchers he's one of them or providing critical hit after critical hit, Kody Clemens has made an impact since joining the Twins. Though he arrived via trade on April 26, his Twins teammates talk as if the utilityman has long been a fixture in the clubhouse. Advertisement Carlos Correa recently described Clemens, who's batting .304/.391/.696 with five home runs in 65 plate appearances with the Twins, as the club's most valuable player. Lee called him a role model and an instigator. Ryan Jeffers praised the veteran's ability to successfully find a niche in a new clubhouse. Outstanding performances by Clemens, whose clutch hits put the Twins ahead late in three victories — including a May 19 walk-off against the Cleveland Guardians — and tied another contest, make it easier to fit into a new environment. But Clemens also believes some of it stems from his choice to leave behind the pressure he'd placed on himself when he played for the Philadelphia Phillies, who designated him for assignment on April 23 before trading him to the Twins for cash. Recognizing his demanding role as a pinch hitter for the Phillies made it more difficult to enjoy playing, Clemens decided during three-plus days in career limbo that whichever team acquired him would receive a player focused on hard work on the field who also kept it light in the clubhouse. 'It's hard to not put pressure on those at-bats because it might be the only at-bat I get for five days,' Clemens said. 'I don't know if it was the unknown when I was DFA'd and didn't know what was about to happen, or what it would look like, but I came in and was like, 'I'm going to try and have fun and whatever happens happens.'' Clemens said being DFA'd surprised him. The 29-year-old felt his grasp of the Phillies' big picture was good. Right-handed pinch hitter Weston Wilson was coming off the injured list, but Clemens thought several younger players with minor-league options, who required everyday at-bats, would be sent down. Instead, it was him. 'It was out of the blue,' Clemens said. Knowing he'd either be outrighted to Triple A or acquired via a waiver claim or a trade, Clemens and his wife, Jessica, returned to Philadelphia the next day to pack up their apartment. Advertisement When his agent let him know the Phillies hoped to trade him, Clemens headed home to Houston. If he needed to wait, Clemens wanted to relax with family at his parents' lake house. Though he spent much of that day on the water, Clemens found time to take batting practice off his father, legendary pitcher Roger Clemens. The pair also looked at teams who might want him, the Twins among the five they thought to be a fit. Roger Clemens thought the time off benefited his son. 'You're doing the hardest thing you can do in baseball,' he said. 'You sit and then pinch hit with the game on the line, or you get a start against a guy like me or Pedro (Martinez). You've just got to go up and have good at-bats. You can't worry about results. … Those three days, he was able to clear his mind.' Kody Clemens didn't have much time to overthink. At 7:10 p.m. that night, Twins prospect Luke Keaschall suffered a fractured forearm when he was hit by a pitch. By 9:30 p.m., Clemens learned the Twins had traded for him and he'd be needed in Minneapolis by 1 p.m. the next day. At 2:30 a.m., Clemens headed to the airport to catch the first of two flights to ensure he'd arrive for first pitch. A sleep-deprived Clemens spent his first few days reading personalities in the clubhouse to determine which Twins players liked to talk and who was reserved. Three days later, a 200-minute rain delay in Cleveland gave Clemens a prime opportunity to spend quality time with his new teammates. They played ping-pong in the visiting clubhouse. Thus began a lively rivalry with Lee, who quickly learned Clemens possesses a killer serve. 'It's pretty good,' Lee said begrudgingly. '(I've returned it) a few times. … From the first day, it felt like he was at home. He was comfortable. He's a good personality and person. Easy to have around. I didn't think he had to mesh at all. He was immediately one of our guys.' Advertisement Clemens, too, liked the vibe. Two more lengthy rain delays in the May 1 series finale led to more ping-pong matches. Seeing how much everyone seemed to enjoy the competitive atmosphere, pitcher Chris Paddack, who played youth travel ball with Clemens, purchased a table for the team's clubhouse at Target Field. Noticing the Twins didn't already have one like the Phillies did, Clemens bought a putting mat and a two-way putter for golf contests. He also added a pitcher's glove to his equipment bag, courtesy of his father, to trash-talk the relievers who surround his stall in the home clubhouse. Clemens, who has a 4.22 career ERA in 10 2/3 innings pitched, insists he's one of them. 'It looks like it's straight out of Walmart,' Clemens said. 'I like to shoot the s—. I like to talk, and I've been messing around with Brooks. Him and I kind of give it back to each other. But we love it. … I'm not going to say I'm creating vibes, but I like to make it light and fun.' In April, the Twins needed all the joy they could find. When Clemens arrived, the team was 10-16 and playing clunky baseball. Already missing Royce Lewis, Matt Wallner and Willi Castro due to injuries, the Twins were suddenly without Keaschall, who had provided energy and outstanding play following his debut. Manager Rocco Baldelli was on the hot seat. At first, Clemens' good glove at second base got him a few starts over Edouard Julien and Mickey Gasper. Then his bat started to make a difference. One week after the trade, Clemens provided a much-needed jolt when he belted a two-run, go-ahead homer to beat Boston at Fenway Park with his father in attendance. What a moment 😮 Kody Clemens homers in his first game at Fenway Park … of course Roger Clemens was there to go crazy for it! — MLB (@MLB) May 3, 2025 The one-run victory was the first of 13 wins in a row for the Twins. Eleven days later, Clemens provided another boost with a three-run home run in the eighth inning of a comeback win at Baltimore, another game in which Roger Clemens and his wife, Debbie, attended. From there, playing time increased. Advertisement 'It's crazy when you give a guy a fresh breath of air, a new team, a new environment, and he comes in and learns how the dynamic works and then steps up and performs as well as he has,' Jeffers said. On May 19, Clemens tripled in a run and later helped the Twins escape with a one-run win over Cleveland with a walk-off RBI double moments after the Guardians rallied to tie the game in the top of the ninth inning. Kody Clemens since being traded to the Minnesota Twins: 44 AB | 14 H | 5 2B | 3 HR | 10 RBI | 3 BB | 15 K | .318/.388/.682 — Phillies Tailgate (@PhilsTailgate) May 22, 2025 On Saturday, Clemens blasted a game-tying homer in the sixth inning of an eventual one-run win over Kansas City. 'All he's done since he came in is hit and hit for power, which is exactly what we needed,' Correa said in describing Clemens as the team's MVP. 'He's been a breakthrough player for us. I'm happy he's on our side.' 5 straight games with an extra-base hit for Kody Clemens! Tie game! #MNTwins This crowd is rocking. — Dustin Morse (@morsecode) May 24, 2025 His former manager, Rob Thomson, isn't surprised by Clemens' success. A longtime friend of Roger Clemens from their New York Yankees days, the Phillies manager has always been a fan of the younger Clemens. He knew Kody Clemens would enjoy playing for Baldelli and thought he'd benefit from the opportunity to play more regularly. 'I'm extremely happy for him,' Thomson said. 'We knew what type of player he can be. We just didn't have a fit for him, and that's really what it came down to. He's great in the clubhouse. He can really hit. He can play multiple positions. He works his tail off every single day. You can't say enough good things about him.' Since joining the Twins, Clemens has increased his bat speed by 2 mph, according to Baseball Savant. While he thinks he's simply reached his physical peak, his father believes it's another benefit of additional playing time. Advertisement 'It's like a pitcher in spring training (building strength) to the end of spring training and breaking camp,' Roger Clemens said. 'It's nothing we haven't seen. But what I think people forget, and Rocco is seeing: (Kody) loves these guys and said it's a great clubhouse. … He wants to play ball and wants to win, and he's been like that since he was 5 years old. He has intangibles. His baseball IQ is off the charts. He makes players around him better, he's always done that.' Kody Clemens is thrilled about the opportunity he's received with the Twins, who are 20-9 since he arrived. He likes how he's played and handled himself in the clubhouse. 'I can't ask for anything more,' he said. As he thought back to his brief period in career limbo, Clemens laughed because he realized he learned more about the 'business of baseball' in three days than his father ever did in 24 seasons as a player. 'He's never experienced the business of baseball,' Clemens said. 'I try to tell my mom. At least from the scenarios where I wasn't playing, she wants me to be more vocal about the decision-making, and, 'Go stand up for yourself.' I'm like, 'Mom, you understand your husband could walk off the field, and he had all the leverage in the world? I've gotta show that I can play and gain leverage.'' If he keeps this up, Clemens might gain that leverage. — The Athletic's Matt Gelb contributed to this story
USA Today
6 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Twins vs. Brewers Tickets, First Pitch Time for Saturday, June 21
Twins vs. Brewers Tickets, First Pitch Time for Saturday, June 21 Kody Clemens and the Minnesota Twins will try to defeat Jackson Chourio and the Milwaukee Brewers at Target Field on Saturday, June 21 at 2:10 p.m. ET (airing on MNNT and FDSWI). Buy Twins Tickets on SeatGeek Buy Twins Tickets on StubHub Twins vs. Brewers Game Info Game day: Saturday, June 21, 2025 Saturday, June 21, 2025 Game time: 2:10 p.m. ET 2:10 p.m. ET TV channel: MNNT and FDSWI MNNT and FDSWI Live Stream: Watch LIVE with Fubo! (Regional restrictions may apply) Watch LIVE with Fubo! Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis, Minnesota Stadium: Target Field Target Field Twins Starter: TBA TBA Brewers Starter: TBA Twins vs. Brewers Tickets For Sale Twins vs. Brewers offensive insights The Twins' 51 home runs rank 23rd in Major League Baseball. Fueled by 144 extra-base hits, Minnesota ranks 22nd in MLB with a .376 slugging percentage this season. The Twins' .237 batting average ranks 21st in the league this season. The Brewers average 0.8 home runs per game to rank 25th in MLB action with 48 total home runs. So far this year, Milwaukee has the third-lowest slugging percentage in baseball (.353). The Brewers have the 24th-ranked batting average in the league (.232). Watch MLB on Fubo Twins' top hitters Trevor Larnach is batting .247 this season, with a .318 on-base percentage and a .399 slugging percentage. He has seven home runs and 23 RBI, plus 29 runs scored. His strikeout rate is 21.7%, and his walk rate is 8.6%. So far this season, Ty France is hitting .254, with a .319 on-base percentage and a .358 slugging percentage. His strikeout rate is 14.6%, and his walk rate is 4.7%. He has four home runs and 30 RBI, plus 20 runs scored. Harrison Bader is hitting .276, with five home runs and 21 RBI, plus 18 runs scored and six steals on nine attempts. He has a .792 OPS (.359 on-base, .433 slugging). His strikeout rate is 21.6%, and his walk rate is 8.5%. The Twins' Ryan Jeffers is hitting .253, with a .349 on-base percentage and a .387 slugging percentage. He has three home runs and 18 RBI, plus 15 runs scored. His strikeout rate is 19.8%, and his walk rate is 11%. Brewers' top hitters Chourio is hitting .241/.270/.415 this season with a walk rate of 3.6% and a strikeout rate of 21.8%. Additionally, he's swatted eight homers while driving in 29 runs and scoring 31 times. Plus, he's stolen nine bases on 12 attempts. In 209 plate appearances, Sal Frelick is hitting .294/.362/.401 this season with a walk rate of 8.1% and a strikeout rate of 12%. Additionally, he's slammed three home runs while driving in 18 runs and scoring 22 times. Plus, he's swiped 10 bags on 12 tries. This season, William Contreras sports a .233 average to go along with a .351 OBP and .344 SLG in 225 plate appearances. He's also swatted five dingers with 24 RBI and 31 runs, including five stolen bases, while putting up a 19.6% strikeout rate and 15.6% walk rate. At the plate, Brice Turang is hitting .268/.342/.351 this season with a walk rate of 9.9% and a K rate of 22%. Additionally, he's cracked four home runs while knocking in 22 runs and scoring 36 times. Plus, he's stolen 14 bases on 17 attempts. Twins' injuries Matt Wallner: 10 Day IL (Hamstring), Danny Coulombe: 15 Day IL (Forearm), Luke Keaschall: 60 Day IL (Forearm), Michael Tonkin: 60 Day IL (Shoulder), Byron Buxton: 7 Day IL (Head) Brewers' injuries Garrett Mitchell: 10 Day IL (Oblique), Brandon Woodruff: 15 Day IL (Shoulder), José Quintana: 15 Day IL (Shoulder), Robert Gasser: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Nestor Cortes: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Blake Perkins: 60 Day IL (Shin), Connor Thomas: 60 Day IL (Elbow) Buy Twins Tickets on SeatGeek Buy Twins Tickets on StubHub
New York Times
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Carlos Correa shines in the field, at plate in support of Joe Ryan as Twins win again
TAMPA, Fla. — The lead trimmed to a lone run late Tuesday night, Carlos Correa ripped a hanging slider into the corner and raced out of the box with a double in mind. Speedy Tampa Bay Rays left fielder Chandler Simpson quickly retrieved the ball on the warning track and fired it to his cutoff man, but the relay throw to second base was late. Advertisement Correa slid into the bag safely ahead of the throw before pointing joyfully to second-base umpire Derek Thomas and calling for time. Two batters later, Correa scored a critical insurance run on a two-out RBI single by Ty France. The hustle-double was the third hit of the contest for Correa, who is only beginning to heat up at the plate. Similar to the outstanding defensive plays he's made in both games of this series, it's a reminder of the many ways in which the Twins' highest-paid player impacts the game like few others on the roster can. Correa went 3-for-4 and cut down a base runner at the plate. Kody Clemens homered again, and Joe Ryan produced another gem as the Twins downed Tampa Bay 4-2 in front of 10,046 at Steinbrenner Field. Ryan struck out five in six innings of one-run ball and the Twins won for the 17th time in 21 games, improving to 30-24 overall. 'When your superstars are playing really good, it kind of pulls the whole team along,' catcher Ryan Jeffers said. 'Carlos is one of those guys. When he comes up, it doesn't matter what he's hitting, if he's struggling or not. You're always going to tune in and be, like, he's going to do something good. He's starting to find his groove. I don't think any of us really worried about him.' The timing of Correa's five-game absence for a concussion sustained in Baltimore on May 15 was unfortunate. Not only were the Twins in the middle of a 13-game winning streak, but Correa seemingly found a groove at the plate after struggling into late April. In the 15 games before he collided with Byron Buxton, Correa batted .328 over 62 plate appearances. But even a one-week layoff to clear the concussion list hasn't slowed him down. Correa ripped the second pitch he saw in his return Friday night for a solo homer and picked up where he left off. He finished with two hits in Friday's win, drew a leadoff, pinch hit walk, and scored the winning run on Saturday and homered in Monday's loss, a contest in which he also provided an intelligent defensive play, throwing behind an aggressive base runner to pick him off third base. Advertisement With three more hits Tuesday, Correa is hitting .338/.357/.488 with three homers, 11 RBIs and 12 runs in his last 22 games played. He's also tied for 14th among qualified defenders with five Outs Above Average. 'It's not surprising when I see him getting hot like this and hitting balls on the barrel like this and finding himself,' Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. 'He always plays with very good confidence and awareness. He carries himself very well on the field. … When he really starts to get going at the plate like this, I think you get even a little extra something from him and the way he walks around, the way he plays the game. The confidence factor is high, and it should be.' With Correa's confidence soaring once again, the Twins are flourishing and winning games they couldn't close out a month ago. The Twins took a 1-0 lead in the first inning Tuesday when third-base coach Tommy Watkins aggressively sent Trevor Larnach home on Brooks Lee's fly ball to medium left field, a close tag-up in which they took advantage of Simpson's weak arm and a great slide by Larnach. An inning later, Correa wiped out the potential tying run at home when he cut off Jeffers' throw to second base on an attempted double steal and returned fire with a perfect throw back to nab Jonathan Aranda for the final out. Kody keeps crushin' 💪 — Minnesota Twins (@Twins) May 27, 2025 Clemens, who increased the lead to 2-0 in the second with a booming homer to center, made a slick diving catch in right with a runner on second in the fourth inning. Third baseman Jonah Bride also made a nice catch on a hot shot headed for the corner in the sixth. Then Correa and France provided insurance in the eighth. Facing reliever Manuel Rodríguez with one out, Correa worked ahead 2-1 in the count and pounced on a slider. His drive sliced to the corner in left, giving Correa enough time to leg out a double. He advanced to third on Lee's grounder to first and scored a pivotal run when France bounced one through the right side for a two-out RBI single and a two-run lead. Advertisement 'The first 22 games we learned what not to do,' Correa said. 'Now we're just trying to do what we're supposed to do. … The pitching staff has been lights out, the defense has been really solid and the hitting will come around. We hopefully get Buxton and (Matt) Wallner soon at some point, and it's a big boost to our lineup. We can keep grinding those at-bats, keep getting those swings and keep getting better.' Tuesday was the sixth time this season Ryan's yielded one or fewer runs in a start. He did so despite throwing his four-seamer a season-low 38 times to counter a good fastball-hitting club. Mixing in his splitter, sweeper, sinker and slider effectively, Ryan worked through a bunch of early traffic before eventually settling in to shut down Tampa Bay's lineup. Ryan induced an inning-ending double play in the first with a man on third, escaped a second-inning jam with Correa's help, and limited the damage in the fourth to a run after surrendering a leadoff double and a one-out RBI single. When Ryan retired Kameron Misner on a fly ball to strand two runners in the fourth, it began a stretch of seven in a row he'd set down to end his outing. Ryan limited Tampa Bay to a run and five hits with a walk and struck out five. He also overcame another balk, this one courtesy of a PitchCom snafu in the first inning. 'It just shows adaptability,' Baldelli said. 'That's what the really good pitchers can do, just flip a switch. Instead of attacking with a four-seamer, he's going with his sweeper, he's going with his split, he's mixing in the sinkers. He's pitching differently because he can. It was a very impressive outing.' Ryan's been highly impressive after returning from last year's season-ending Grade 2 teres major muscle strain. He improved to 5-2 with a 2.57 ERA, 72 strikeouts and only nine walks in 63 innings. 'It's a good four-seam for a reason, so that's kind of where I'm going to stay with,' Ryan said. 'That and the sinker is pretty sweet, too. So being able to mix that in there, got the sweeper in later. I think Jeffers did a really good job with the circumstances and where it was at and everything, just calling a really good game, staying locked in, communicating between innings. He did outstanding, so that helps a lot. And then the defense, we're seeing the good plays. It makes it a lot easier to mix stuff in there and get some quick outs when we needed it.' (Top photo of Carlos Correa hitting a double in the eighth inning: Julio Aguilar / Getty Images)
CBS News
7 days ago
- Business
- CBS News
Twins stop Rays' 6-game win streak, beating them 4-2
Is investing in your child's sports financially worth it? Is investing in your child's sports financially worth it? Is investing in your child's sports financially worth it? Kody Clemens hit his fifth home run of the season, with father Roger Clemens watching from the stands, and the Minnesota Twins beat Tampa Bay 4-2 Tuesday night to stop the Rays' season-high, six-game winning streak. A 29-year-old son of the seven-time Cy Young Award winner, Kody Clemens extended his hitting streak to a career-high eight games when he homered off leading off the second against Taj Bradley (4-4). Joe Ryan (5-2) won his fourth straight decision, allowing one run and five hits in six innings. Jhoan Duran worked around a walk in the ninth for his ninth save in 10 chances, throwing six of 21 pitches 100 mph or higher. Carlos Correa had three hits for the Twins, who went ahead on Brooks Lee's first-inning sacrifice fly. Lee hit into a run-scoring forceout in the sixth and Kameron Misner had a run-scoring groundout in the seventh. Bradley (4-4) allowed three runs — two earned — and five hits in seven innings, matching his season high. A crowd of 10,046 was the Rays' 33rd sellout in 36 games at Steinbrenner Field, the Rays' temporary home this season. Tampa Bay, which dropped back to .500 at 27-27, is 17-19 at home going into Wednesday's finale of a nine-game homestand IRays second baseman Brandon Lowe fielded Lee's sixth-inning chopper with runners on first and second and sailed his throw to second over leaping shortstop Jose Caballero for an error that allowed Ryan Jeffers to score. Ryan's walk to Misner in the second inning was his 10th in 11 starts the year. Twins pitchers have walked the fewest batters in the major leagues this season. Rays RHP Drew Rasmussen (3–4, 2.60 ERA) starts Wednesday against Twins RHP Pablo López (4–2, 2.31 ERA), who has held opponents to two earned runs or fewer in eight of nine starts this season.
San Francisco Chronicle
7 days ago
- Sport
- San Francisco Chronicle
Kody Clemens homers with dad Roger looking on, Twins beat Rays 4-2 to stop Rays' 6-game win streak
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Kody Clemens hit his fifth home run of the season, with father Roger Clemens watching from the stands, and the Minnesota Twins beat Tampa Bay 4-2 Tuesday night to stop the Rays' season-high, six-game winning streak. A 29-year-old son of the seven-time Cy Young Award winner, Kody Clemens extended his hitting streak to a career-high eight games when he homered off leading off the second against Taj Bradley (4-4). Joe Ryan (5-2) won his fourth straight decision, allowing one run and five hits in six innings. Jhoan Duran worked around a walk in the ninth for his ninth save in 10 chances, throwing six of 21 pitches 100 mph or higher. Carlos Correa had three hits for the Twins, who went ahead on Brooks Lee's first-inning sacrifice fly. Lee hit into a run-scoring forceout in the sixth and Kameron Misner had a run-scoring groundout in the seventh. Bradley (4-4) allowed three runs — two earned — and five hits in seven innings, matching his season high. A crowd of 10,046 was the Rays' 33rd sellout in 36 games at Steinbrenner Field, the Rays' temporary home this season. Tampa Bay, which dropped back to .500 at 27-27, is 17-19 at home going into Wednesday's finale of a nine-game homestand Key Stat Ryan's walk to Misner in the second inning was his 10th in 11 starts the year. Twins pitchers have walked the fewest batters in the major leagues this season. Up Next Rays RHP Drew Rasmussen (3–4, 2.60 ERA) starts Wednesday against Twins RHP Pablo López (4–2, 2.31 ERA), who has held opponents to two earned runs or fewer in eight of nine starts this season. ___
