Roger Clemens is a Yankee
The Future Hall of Famer Returns to Pitch a 24th Season With Yankees
Roger Clemens is pushing 45 years old but shows no signs of slowing down. At least that is what the Yankees, who just gave him a fortune to pitch for them, are hoping
Immediately following the seventh inning stretch in today’s game between the New York Yankees and Seattle Mariners at Yankee Stadium, the public address announcer asked the crowd of 56,000 to direct their attention to owner George Steinbrenner’s luxury box for a special announcement. As the crowd turned their heads in the direction of the suite, they noticed the familiar figure of future Hall of Fame pitcher Roger Clemens. As the scoreboard flashed a message that read “Roger Clemens is now a Yankee,” the big right-hander told the crowd: “They came down to Texas and they got me. It’s great to be back. I will see you all real soon.” And with that statement, it was official: Roger Clemens is a New York Yankee. Once again.
The announcement came as a surprise not just to the fans, but also to the Yankee broadcasters, coaches and players. Immediately following Clemens’s display, cameras panned to the Yankee dugout and caught pitching coach Ron Guidry asking Andy Pettitte, who has been Clemens' best friend and teammate for almost a decade, if he knew Clemens had been signed. Pettitte clearly responded, “No. I had no idea.”
It seems that only Clemens, his agent, Steinbrenner, Yankee skipper Joe Torre, general manager Brian Cashman and team captain Derek Jeter had been let in on the secret. While Clemens has always reveled in the spotlight, and especially seems to enjoy the annual plea for his services by the wealthiest teams in the game, this moment was especially dramatic.
For the past two months, observers have speculated which of the pitcher’s three suitors – the Yankees, the Red Sox and the Astros – would sign the 44-year old flamethrower who has already logged 348 career victories. As of this morning, Clemens and his agent had told anyone who was listening that Roger would not make up his mind until the end of May, and that he would not pitch until late June. It seems that Steinbrenner and his minions had very different ideas for the big Texan.
It’s really no surprise that the Yankees wanted Clemens. Not just for his pitching prowess or for his ability to put fannies in the seats, but for his capacity to simply take the mound without getting injured. Since Opening Day, the following Yankee starters have spent significant time on the disabled list: Mike Mussina, Chien-Ming Wang, Carl Pavano, Phil Hughes, Jeff Karstens and Andy Pettitte. While some of the pitchers have returned to the starting rotation, it’s clear that Karstens (broken leg), Hughes (hamstring injury) and Carl Pavano (complete nutcase) will not be standing atop the Yankee Stadium mound anytime soon. The Yankees were desperate and they went after the best pitcher available. They got him, but it will cost the team a lot of money. A lot of money.
Complete details of the contract are not yet known, but this much has been revealed: Clemens will earn more money, on a pro-rated basis, than any player has ever made on a baseball diamond. Specifically, the Yankees have agreed to pay the pitcher in the neighborhood of $18 million, or about $4.5 million per month, to don the pinstripes and hurl the horsehide. Assuming Clemens debuts on June 1st and pitches every fifth day, he should make between 23 and 25 starts before the season ends, which means that he will earn approximately $750,000 per start. Not too shabby for a player the Boston Red Sox claimed was “in the twilight of his career” almost 11 years ago.
Not bad at all.
