Roger Clemens Strikes Out 20 Batters in Historic 1986 Game

Sometimes greatness arrives with a splitting headache and a cold Boston night.

On April 29, 1986, Roger Clemens woke up with a ruthless temple headache that wouldn't quit. The 23-year-old pitcher was antsy and jittery at Fenway Park, scheduled to face the Seattle Mariners after a rainout had delayed his start two days earlier.

What happened next changed baseball history forever. Clemens became the first pitcher ever to strike out 20 batters in a nine-inning Major League game, walking none and allowing just three hits.

The magic started immediately when Clemens struck out the first three batters on full counts. By the end of the fourth inning, a dropped foul ball by Don Baylor gave Gorman Thomas new life, but Clemens simply struck him out looking anyway.

The fifth inning turned epic into extraordinary. Clemens sat down three straight batters on called third strikes, bringing his total to 12 strikeouts through five innings.

The dominance was so overwhelming that Boston Globe writer Larry Whiteside actually left the game early to cover the Celtics playoff game across town. His colleagues teased him about it for years.

In the sixth inning, Clemens struck out eight batters in a row, setting an American League record at the time. Meanwhile, the game remained scoreless, meaning his historic performance still needed run support to matter.

Then Thomas homered in the seventh, putting Seattle up 1-0. Clemens slammed his glove in frustration, suddenly caring more about the score than his strikeout count.

But Dwight Evans answered immediately with a three-run homer in the bottom of the seventh. Clemens lifted Evans into a bearhug so enthusiastic that Evans joked he felt like he was being burped.

Why This Inspires

This wasn't just about breaking records. Clemens had undergone rotator cuff surgery just eight months earlier, and many wondered if he'd ever pitch the same way again.

His answer came with 20 strikeouts, proving that setbacks don't define careers. The baby-faced young pitcher wearing number 21 went on to win 354 games, notch 4,672 strikeouts, and capture a record seven Cy Young Awards.

Even the famous fan who posted "K" cards on the bleacher wall for each strikeout missed the first seven innings, watching from home in Newton before convincing his mother to drive him to Fenway for the historic finish.

One headache-filled night became the launching pad for one of baseball's most dominant careers.