Red Sox pitcher Clay Buchholz has 73 career wins and one no-hitter to his resume, but it was Donald Trump who helped deal the right-hander his biggest win off the diamond.
Trump, the leader in the clubhouse for the GOP presidential nomination, has a fan in Buchholz for a reason entirely different from his usual throng of supporters.
In 2008, Trump set aside his role of billionaire businessman for the role of match-maker, introducing Buchholz to his future wife, Lindsay Clubine, while hosting a UFC event.
“It was 2008 in Anaheim,” Buchholz said in a Boston Globe report. “It was Sean Casey, myself, probably like eight or nine guys, and we went to a UFC fight after one game and then we went to the after-party.
“My wife knew him prior, from ‘Deal or No Deal’ when he came on the show as a celebrity banker. She was helping him host this event in Anaheim. So when we all walked in, he was there, and he saw us and he introduced Lindsay to me.”
Buchholz and Clubine married a little more than a year later at Trump National Golf Club in California. For that reason, it should be no surprise that Buchholz is vocal about his support for the lightning-rod candidate.
“He says what a lot people think and don’t say,” Buchholz said. “I’m not really into politics, but I’m watching a lot more now. He’s been awesome to me. … I always found him to be a good-hearted person. He’s a lot of fun, but he’s obviously one of the smartest businessmen in the world, given what he’s been able to accomplish.”
For his part, Buchholz accomplished much less than Trump last season. The 31-year-old made just 18 starts, compiling a 7-7 record with a 3.26 ERA for the last-place Red Sox who finished with a 78-84 record.
The Red Sox open the 2016 campaign April 4 in Cleveland for a three-game series against the Indians.