Roger Clemens’ return to Yankees camp for the first time since his playing days wasn’t just about making an appearance.
Instead, the guest instructor has made it a point to share his thoughts, watch bullpens and help Yankees pitchers tinker over the last few days. On Sunday, that meant standing behind a screen as Gerrit Cole faced teammates, including Aaron Judge, on a backfield at George M. Steinbrenner Field.
Clemens, a seven-time Cy Young winner, witnessed some hard contact from the Yankees slugger, which left Cole, a Cy Young winner in 2023, appreciative of the chance to practice against a two-time MVP.
“I’ve done this for a long time, I’ve seen my fair share of line drives and gotten my fair share of line drives, so there’s always that uncertainty with guys who can just really hit the ball so hard,” a laughing Cole said of Judge. “So that’s not comfortable. But it’s fun to compete against him. And then to be able to talk about it afterwards, that’s special.”
Clemens, an MVP himself, also watched Cole throw a bullpen session on Friday. Afterward, Clemens shared some advice on how Cole could fine-tune his mechanics.
“He really liked the foundation,” said Cole, who looked up to Clemens as a kid. “I mean, it’s gotta get better, but it’s in a good spot.”
Baseball is back! @Yankees pic.twitter.com/P0SCII39wJ
— Roger Clemens (@rogerclemens) February 22, 2025
The 34-year-old Cole, feeling good and likely to make his spring debut the next time he faces hitters, said that he plans on talking to Clemens about staying healthy and pitching into his 40s. Clemens spent 24 seasons in the majors, the last being his age 44 season.
Cole guessed that Clemens’ staying power had a lot to do with his mechanics, though The Rocket has long been linked to performance-enhancing drugs.
“I’m only saying I’m guessing that because all the guys that pitch in their 40s have good mechanics,” Cole said, “and they’re really fluid.”
Cole hasn’t been the only one to benefit from Clemens’ presence. Max Fried could be seen enjoying a long conversation with Clemens and his longtime friend and teammate, Andy Pettitte, on Friday. Clemens was also spotted chatting with pitching coach Matt Blake and Carlos Rodón, among others.
“He’s got as much baseball knowledge as anybody you’ll ever find,” Pettitte said before Clemens reported to camp last week. “It’ll be great to have him down here. He’ll have all kinds of things, I’m sure, to share with our pitchers.”
Clemens hasn’t been the only high-profile ex-Yankee in camp, as Alex Rodriguez, Willie Randolph, CC Sabathia, Ron Guidry, Bucky Dent and Didi Gregorius have all stopped by GMS.