Someone wrote to me to ask me to post something in Sons of Sam Horn on Matt Clement’s asthma (that article, incidentally, seems in complete agreement with me on the soporific effects of Clement’s pitching) and whether being in the American League helps him in that regard. I must admit, I didn’t know he was asthmatic, but since I have exercise-induced asthma, I’d hazard a guess that being in the AL helps Clement, not just because the existence of a DH gives a pitcher time to catch his breath, but also because he doesn’t have to run the bases - any sort of running tends to aggravate the condition, and short sprints are particularly bad.
Also, Clement is most likely to suffer the effects of asthma in humidity, which makes Boston generally a good choice for him. Looking at his 3-year splits, there’s no discernible relation between ERA and monthly humidity (April and July are his best months) so if there are indeed any effects of humidity on his asthma they don’t seem to translate into performance, fortunately. Presumably the Sox will be keeping a watchful eye.