MSBL Veteran Dan Clemens of Denver Becomes Oldest Pitcher in Pecos League History to Notch a Victory

By Jeff Larson / [email protected]

July 28, 2023 – Dan Clemens followed up being the oldest pitcher in Pecos League history to win a game with another victory Thursday night at home, as Clemens and the Marysville Drakes independent baseball team took down Dublin, 13-8 at Bryant Field in Marysville.

Clemens, 55, allowed five earned on 11 hits through nine innings to improve to 2-0 on the hill this year for Marysville with a 5.06 ERA.

Clemens is only four years younger than the oldest pitcher in Major League Baseball history. Leroy “Satchel” Paige, who played his final MLB game for the Kansas City Athletics on Sept. 25, 1965, at 59, is the oldest player in MLB history.

According to Oldest.org, a site that chronicles the oldest pitchers to play professionally at the highest level, Paige had a career record of 118-80, a 2.70 ERA, and 1,438 strikeouts. He was twice named an all-star, earned a World Series title in 1948 and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1971 via the Negro League Committee.

Clemens did not play professionally until he was 51 and has since bounced around the Pecos League for a number of years, playing both in Tucson and Santa Fe before coming to Marysville.

The righty has pitched 16 total innings this summer with one complete game Thursday against Dublin.

The win moves Marysville a game over .500, but still three games back of the final playoff spot, which belongs to Lancaster at the moment. The Sound Breakers (27-20) are three up on sixth place Marysville (24-23) and 1.5 ahead of fifth place Martinez (25-21).

In order for the Drakes to create a tie for the fourth and final playoff seed, they need to win all three games this weekend, while Lancaster loses all three and Martinez goes at best 1-for-3 over the final weekend in the Pecos League regular season.

Pecos League commissioner Andrew Dunn said if teams are tied for the fourth seed after Sunday’s games, there will be a one-game playoff to decide the postseason representative.