Coming off an April Pitcher of the Month award, Jose Berrios faced perhaps his toughest challenge of the season on Tuesday night.
Even without former All-Stars Trea Turner and J.T. Realmuto in the lineup, the Philadelphia Phillies still ran out a loaded starting nine, led by former MVP Bryce Harper.
But it wouldn't be baseball without surprise performances coming from less heralded players, and early on in Tuesday's game, it was Kody Clemens' night.
The son of two-time Blue Jays Cy Young winner Roger, Kody was just recalled on Saturday to replace the injured Turner and made an immediate impact for the Phillies, starting what was a disaster of an outing for Berrios.
Coming to the plate in the bottom of the second while using Harper's bat, Clemens took a 2-1 offering from Berrios 383 feet into the right-field bleachers.
It was his second homer of the year in just his sixth MLB at-bat, but he didn't stop there. Two innings later, the 27-year-old hit a sharp line drive that snuck over a leaping Kevin Kiermaier's glove, allowing Clemens to leg out his first career triple.
Clemens came around to score on Harper's grand slam, giving the Phillies an 8-0 lead.
Blue Jays reliever Genesis Cabrera was finally able to get Clemens out Tuesday, forcing the third baseman to line out to Kiermaier in the sixth inning.
He entered the night having played in just two games this season, one of which came on April 22. That game, he went 2-for-4 with a homer and a double before being sent back to triple-A.
Originally a third-round pick of the Detroit Tigers in 2018, Clemens has appeared in three MLB seasons and was traded to Philadelphia alongside Gregory Soto in 2023.
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