ARLINGTON, Texas – Kody Clemens never wondered if he could produce in the big leagues. He just wondered if he’d ever get the opportunity. Sometimes opportunity takes strange shapes. On April 23 of last year, Clemens was a bench player for the Phillies and found himself the victim of a roster crunch. He was designated for assignment to make room for Weston Wilson, leaving his future in doubt. But when Luke Keaschall hit the injured list with a broken arm a few days later, the Twins had a need. They acquired Clemens for cash on April 26. Four days later, he made his first start with Minnesota. Three days after that, he hit his first Twins homer. Less than 14 months since that shakeup, Clemens is an indispensable figure on Minnesota’s roster. He hit his 30th homer as a Twin on Tuesday, a three-run shot that was the biggest blow in a 12-2 win against the Rangers. In roughly a full season’s worth of playing time – 557 at-bats, 617 plate appearances – Clemens has hit the round number that marks a power hitter. He’s racked up 80 RBIs for Minnesota while playing five positions (plus appearing as a pitcher), turning himself into a plus first baseman for good measure. “I trust myself,” said Clemens. “I feel like if you look at all of my numbers, even when I wasn’t playing a lot, I was hitting four or five homers in 100 plate appearances. So I always thought, ‘Damn, if I got a chance, I could do this.’” His homer on Tuesday was typical of what he’s done so often this year, with a knack for big hits in important situations. The Twins led 2-0 in the third inning, but with a gassed bullpen, that wasn’t a comfortable lead. After Trevor Larnach singled and Byron Buxton walked, Clemens faced off against Kumar Rocker with no one out. He laid off a slider inside, then jumped a hanging changeup for the three-run homer that changed the complexion of the game. The Twins never looked back, winning for the fourth time in five games and taking their second straight series against a contending opponent.
