Twilight Puts Clemens in the Zone

Roger Clemens is tough enough on the Angels under normal conditions in Fenway Park, but throw the Boston Red Sox right-hander into the twilight zone, where he spent most of Saturday afternoon, and he becomes virtually untouchable.

Taking advantage of the shadows created by the late-afternoon sunshine of a 4 p.m. EDT start, Clemens threw a seven-hit shutout to lead the Red Sox to a 6-0 victory before 32,497.

“That was a nice time of day to be hitting,” Angel center fielder Jim Edmonds smirked. “The ball looked like a strobe light.”

Whether it’s day or night or in between, Clemens (6-11) has dominated the Angels like no other pitcher.

The three-time Cy Young Award winner has a 23-7 career record against the Angels, including a 12-0 record and 1.03 earned-run average in his last 12 starts at Fenway Park.

“That’s awesome, isn’t it?” Angel shortstop Gary DiSarcina said. “I’ve never seen him pitch poorly against us. And the kiss of death is to hear he’s been struggling or doesn’t have great numbers before you face him, because that’s when he battles.”

The Angels, whose three-game win streak ended, managed only seven singles against Clemens, two of which didn’t leave the infield. Only four Angels reached scoring position, two with less than two outs.

Clemens had nine strikeouts to improve his American League-leading total to 185, and the shutout was the 37th of his career, which leaves him one behind Cy Young’s team record of 38.

“I don’t know how he’s 6-11 this year, but the way he pitched today, those numbers ought to be turned around,” said Angel Manager John McNamara, who managed Clemens at Boston during the mid-1980s. “He was on top of his game and threw all his pitches for strikes.”

It didn’t hurt that, for the first six innings, Clemens was in the sun while batters were in the shade.

“He’s hard enough to hit at night with great lights in a big-league park,” DiSarcina said, “but throw in 10,000 white shirts behind him [in the bleachers] and the shadows and it makes it even tougher. It was real difficult picking up the rotation of his slider.”

Angel starter Chuck Finley worked with the same benefit, and the left-hander took full advantage, throwing a no-hitter until Bill Haselman’s double with one out in the fifth. But once the sun dipped behind the grandstands, and the shadows disappeared, so did the Angels.

Wil Cordero’s potential inning-ending, double-play grounder took a wild hop over Angel third baseman George Arias’ left shoulder in the sixth, and that opened the door for three runs, two of which scored on Tim Naehring’s bases-loaded double and one on Haselman’s run-scoring fielder’s choice.

“That ball took a bad hop and changed the whole complexion of that inning,” McNamara said. “With a double play, we’re out of the inning and don’t have to face [Mo] Vaughn.”

The Red Sox added two more runs in the seventh on Vaughn’s two-run double, and Mike Stanley’s solo homer off reliever Greg Gohr in the eighth.

Finley (11-12) gave up five hits and struck out eight in 6 2/3 innings, but he was hurt by seven walks, a hit batter, which started Boston’s three-run sixth, and his fielding error, which prolonged the Red Sox’s two-run seventh.

“I felt good today, and the way we swung the bats [Friday night] I thought we’d get some good opportunities,” Finley said. “But I guess I better stop thinking. . . . I can’t figure this game out anymore.”