"His major league career started off strong and looks to get even stronger now that Pat Clements is in New York. Clements, who was included in the much heralded Rick Rhoden trade with the Pirates, is beginning his fifth pro season.
The lefty pitcher made the California Angels roster in 1985 and went 5-0 with a 3.34 ERA in 41 relief appearances before being traded to the Pirates in August 1985. While his record dropped to 0-4 last year, Clements led his former team with 65 appearances- 12 best in the N.L.- and his 2.80 ERA was the lowest on the Pirates' staff.
'You look at his stats and you can see that he did a good job for Pittsburgh last season,' says Yankees general manager Woody Woodward. Clements finished the 1986 season by not allowing a run in his last 13 outings (11.2 innings). He hopes to continue his effectiveness with the Yankees in 1987."
-The New York Yankees Official 1987 Yearbook
"Clements was acquired by the Yankees along with pitchers Rick Rhoden and Cecilio Guante from the Pittsburgh Pirates in November 1986 in exchange for pitchers Doug Drabek, Brian Fisher and Logan Easley. He led the Pirates in games pitched (65) in '86, ranking 12th in the National League, with all appearances coming in relief. Clements finished with a record of 0-4 with two saves and an ERA of 2.80, the lowest earned run average on the Pirate staff, and had 31 strikeouts and 32 walks in 61 innings pitched.
He had scoreless streaks of 9.2 innings in 12 outings from April 22 to May 13 and of 10.1 innings in nine outings from May 23 to June 7. His two saves came on May 3, a 7-6 Pirate victory over San Diego, and on May 31, a 4-0 Pittsburgh win against Los Angeles. Pat set his season high in innings pitched (2.2) and in strikeouts (3) on May 23 against Cincinnati, giving up one hit and no runs in that outing.
He gave up just one home run in his 61 innings pitched (to Terry Kennedy at San Diego on July 9). He did not give up a run in his last 13 outings (11.2 IP) and gave up just two runs in his last 20 games (19.1 IP, 13 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 9 K, 0.93 ERA). Of the 53 hits he gave up in '86, just nine went for extra bases (eight doubles, one homer). He stranded 36 of the 49 runners he inherited.
Pat opened the 1985 season, only his third as a pro, with the California Angels. He made the squad after coming to camp as a non-roster player, having spent 1984 with the Angels' Class AA Waterbury club. He made his major league debut on April 9 against Minnesota, retiring the only batter he faced, and his longest career outing came on May 26 when he worked 6.2 scoreless innings (two hits) in a win over Baltimore.
He was 5-0 with a 3.34 ERA in 41 relief appearances with the Angels before his contract was acquired by Pittsburgh on August 2 along with outfielder Mike Brown and pitcher Bob Kipper in exchange for pitchers John Candelaria and Al Holland and outfielder George Hendrick. Clements was tied for 12th in innings pitched among AL relievers at the time of the deal, and only six AL relievers had more than his five wins; AL batters had hit .218 (47-for-216) against him. He won two against Boston and one each against Toronto, Baltimore and Detroit.
His longest outing with the Bucs came on August 18 when he worked three scoreless innings in relief on Don Robinson in a 5-0 win against New York, recording his first Pirate save. Pat fanned four in 2.1 innings at Chicago on October 3 to tie his career high (he had four strikeouts against Boston on April 29 in six innings pitched when he recorded his first major league win).
He had one save with California (against Boston on July 5) and two with the Pirates (both against the Mets). He was 4-0 at Anaheim with one save and a 1.37 ERA (6 ER, 39.1 IP), and overall at home in '85 was 4-2 with two saves and a 1.92 ERA (12 ER, 56.1 IP).
Pat was selected by the Angels in the fourth round of the June 1983 draft and began his career as a starter for Peoria (Class A), starting 14 of his 15 games with that club. In 1984 he adapted well to his new role as a reliever with Class AA Waterbury. Pat had a club high nine saves in 41 relief outings and gave up just two homers in 67 innings.
A graduate of Pleasant Valley High School in Chino, California where he played baseball and basketball, Pat also played baseball for three seasons at UCLA. He was selected to the USA College All-Star team."
-1987 New York Yankees Information Guide
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