Cole Hamels picks up 100th career victory against the Reds - MLB

It’s fitting that Phillies starter Cole Hamels would achieve a career milestone against the team against which he debuted way back in 2006. On Saturday night, Hamels picked up career victory number 100, holding the Reds to one run over seven innings on three hits and two walks while striking out ten. He also turned heads when he struck out the side in the third inning on nine pitches.

It was Hamels’ seventh attempt at the feat, having earned three losses and three no-decisions dating back to September 20 last season. He joins Steve Carlton, Robin Roberts, Pete Alexander, Chris Short, Curt Simmons, and Curt Schilling as the seven Phillies to have picked up triple digit victories in their careers, dating back to 1901.

Hamels has had a rough go of it since returning on April 23 after battling tendonitis in his left shoulder. Saturday’s outing lowers his ERA to 4.40 and he has a 34/12 K/BB ratio in 30 2/3 innings.

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Roger Clemens will be an analyst for ESPN when the defending World Series champion Houston Astros host the Chicago White Sox on opening day.

Clemens made four appearances on last year’s KayRod Cast with Michael Kay and Alex Rodriguez. He will be stepping in on March 30 for David Cone, who will be doing the New York Yankees opener against the San Francisco Giants on YES Network.

“Roger has been sort of a friend of ours for the last year, so to speak, he’s in. He’s been engaged, knowledgeable and really present,” said ESPN Vice President of Production Phil Orlins. “You know, whatever past may be, he’s still tremendously engaged and he really brought that every time he was with us.”

Clemens was a seven-time Cy Young winner but his career after baseball has been tainted by allegations of performance-enhancing drug use. He is a Houston native and pitched for the Astros for three seasons.

Orlins said that with the rules changes and pitch clock, it is important to have a pitcher in the booth with Karl Ravech and Eduardo Perez.

“We don’t feel like we have to have the dynamic of Eduardo with a pitcher, but we certainly think that works. Throw in the added factor of rule changes and it is better to have a batter-pitcher perspective,” Orlins said.

Orlins did not say if this would open the door for future opportunities for Clemens as an ESPN analyst.