Tyler Clippard cannot remember the exact moment when he decided to see the eye doctor. He might have been standing on a mound in Columbus, Ohio, squinting at the sign in the shadows between the catcher’s legs. That happened often during the summer of 2008. Clippard also squinted when he was in the clubhouse, or looking at the television. His teammates teased him endlessly.
Clippard was 23 years old and in his sixth year in the minors. He did not have overly powerful stuff or great statistics. He did have some brief experience in the majors, but it was still unclear what would become of him.