Roger Clemens Beats the Pirates
The Rocket Picks Up Win 349 in his 2007 New York Yankees MLB Debut
With the whole world wondering if future Hall of Famer Roger Clemens could reverse New York's 2007 fortunes, Clemens delivered a quality start and a Win for the Yankees.
Roger Clemens popped out of the Yankee Stadium clubhouse in full uniform about an hour before he threw his first pitch Saturday against the Pirates, jogging down the Yankee Stadium hallway with his cleats click-clacking on the concrete floor. The Rocket was anxious and excited, but proved that he wasn’t too rusty to win, and that's all that matters to the Yankees right now. Clemens shook off some early struggles and gave the surging Bombers the lift they were looking for, beating the Pirates by a score of 9-3. In doing so, Roger Clemens collected his 349th career win and extended the Yankees' winning streak to a 2007 season-long five games.
It's Just Great to Be Back
"It's just great to be back," Clemens said, sitting after the game with his two youngest boys. "It felt like old times."
Pitching in pinstripes for the first time in four years, Roger Clemens struggled a bit through the first few innings but became more effective as the afternoon wore on. He struck out seven batters in six innings and retired his final seven batters, leaving with a signature fist pump just before receiving a playful tap on the rear from Derek Jeter.
Making his latest comeback, the 44-year-old Roger Clemens allowed three runs, five hits and two walks against the weak-hitting Pirates, who entered with an on-base percentage of just .312, the lowest in the National League.
"He's not as sharp as he's going to be," New York manager Joe Torre said. "Certainly as we get down the road here, your expectations are higher for him."
On the offensive side, Alex Rodriguez continued his hot ways, driving in two runs for the Yankees, who have won a season-best five straight and eight of 10 overall. Surging second basemen Robinson Cano added three hits, increasing his batting average to a season high .275.
Yankee Teammates Are Impressed
Clemens fanned rookie slugger Ryan Doumit with his 108th and final pitch, pumped his fist in familiar fashion and then walked slowly to the dugout as Elton John's "Rocket Man" played over the loudspeakers. Jeter ran up behind his teammate, spun excitedly and tapped him with his glove.
That's the kind of enthusiasm the Yankees (29-31) hoped the Rocket would provide after the team slumped through the first third of the season. As usual, Clemens did precisely what was asked of him.
"It was awesome," Rodriguez said. "I think all 24 guys were a little bit in awe. It was great."
After spending the past three seasons with his hometown Houston Astros, Clemens came out of retirement again when he agreed on May 6th to a prorated, one-year contract with the Yankees worth $28,000,022 -- the last two digits matching his uniform number.
The Rocket Still Has the Goods to Get The Yankees Back to the Playoffs
The seven-time Cy Young Award winner had three tune-ups in the minors and was originally scheduled to return to the Yankees last Monday at the Chicago White Sox, but that outing was pushed back because of an ailing groin.
"My biggest hurdle was my legs today. I just don't want to go backward with that," Clemens said. "I expect to get stronger each time from here out."
Clemens, who helped New York to two World Series titles and four AL pennants from 1999-2003, got a huge hand from the sellout crowd of 54,296 as he walked to the mound. Just before the first pitch, Jeter came in from shortstop for a quick chat and a pat on the chest.
"We had a good laugh," Clemens said. "He's one of the reasons why I chose to put my spikes back on."
Though his low-90s fastball was far from overpowering, Clemens (1-0) earned his 349th win which made himeighth on the career list. He finished the day with 4,611 career strikeouts, passing Randy Johnson for second place behind Nolan Ryan (5,714).
The Rocket also improved to 6-1 in nine starts against Pittsburgh, eight with Houston.
"I certainly didn't see any rust on his split-finger," Doumit said. "I didn't think his fastball was where he wanted it to be, but he's 44 years old. That splitty was on point."
20 more starts for the Rocket, each for the cool price of nearly $1,000,000 per start, one can imagine that Yankee fans are expecting 21 or 22 more wins from the Rocket.
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