53-year-old Pro Pitcher One-Ups Roger Clemens

Charles I. Guarria

2 hours ago

2 min read

Updated: Sept. 17, 2026 3:59 PM.

"Good things come to those who wait” especially for 53-year-old Vincent B. Towns. He waited 34 years for this third season of professional baseball.

This past spring, Towns pitched for the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball’s Hagerstown Flying Boxcars.

In 1992, he was a pitcher in the San Francisco Giants minor league system.

**Vincent B. Towns as a San Francisco Giant in the early 1990s. His 40 IP resulted in a 6.30 ERA and 1.950 WHIP.**

Towns was drafted in the 36^th round out of Suitland High School (Forestville, Maryland) in 1991 by San Fran. In all, Towns spent more than two years with the Giants playing in the Arizona Rookie League. Back then, he had a fastball. This season, he twirled a self-taught knuckleball.

Though he played but two seasons for the Giants, he wasn’t released until 1992 or 1993; the exact year Towns could not recall during a KNBR radio interview.

In between professional mound appearances, Towns worked in construction, played ball in Washington, D.C. adult men’s leagues as a position player as well as a pitcher, and attended approximately 60 pro ball tryouts culminating in being the Hagerstown Flying Boxcars’ number one pick in this year’s draft. “I put in a lot of work, and it paid off,” he said. Adding that he thought his selection might have been a joke, as draft day was April 1.

On April 26, he got the start for Hagerstown but didn’t get an out. Towns gave up three hits and a run; it was an earned run. “That’s how it is with the knuckleball,” Towns said after the game. “Some days you have it, some days you don’t.”

The Flying Boxcars lost the game 13-5. That was his only appearance, as Towns was released by Hagerstown in May.

However, his time back in pro ball won’t soon be forgotten. By toeing the rubber for Hagerstown, Towns broke Roger Clemens' record for the oldest player in Atlantic League history. Clemens pitched for the Sugar Land Skeeters (now a Houston Astros affiliate) at the age of 50.

**Towns on the mound during his one-and-only appearance for the Hagerstown Flying Boxcars, April 26, 2026**

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Charles I. Guarria is an author, blogger, reporter and former streaming host based in the state of Florida, USA, covering any topic, anywhere in the world. His career began in 2009. Mr. Guarria is a three-time winner of Emerald Group Publishing’s Highly Commended Award amd is available for hire to write, research, or beta-read.

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