Clemens Serves Up Home Run in First Minor League Start
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LEXINGTON, KY.- A pitching legend, pitching as a Legend, began his latest comeback last night on an unfamiliar mound in the low minor leagues with – what else? – a strikeout.
Roger Clemens showed pinpoint control and a sharp fastball during his tuneup for the Houston Astros’ Class-A Lexington Legends. Playing alongside his son, Koby, he gave up a long home run but otherwise looked like his old self in three innings of work against the Lake County Captains, a Cleveland Indians affiliate.
Next up is probably a start Sunday at Double-A Corpus Christi, Texas, followed by another one June 16 at Triple-A Round Rock,Texas.The Rocket could be pitching in the big leagues by June 22 against Minnesota.
The 43-year-old Clemens is accustomed to facing the likes of Yankees center fielder Johnny Damon, but it was Captains center fielder Johnny Drennen who took him deep last night.
Drennen, the third hitter Clemens faced, drove a fastball off the party deck beyond the right-field wall for a solo homer. Next up was Matt Fornasiere, who also hit the ball hard – lining a double to right-center.
The only other hit Clemens allowed was a weakly hit infield single in the third. Otherwise, Clemens was hardly touched. He threw 62 pitches, allowed no walks and only the one run while striking out six – two in each inning.
He tipped his hat and pumped his fist to thunderous applause by a Legends’ record crowd, estimated at around 9,000,as he came off the mound after the third. Clemens departed with the Legends ahead 5-1.
It wouldn’t be a Clemens outing without a brushback pitch, and he didn’t disappoint. He nailed Marshall Szabo in the shoulder and pushed Fernando Pacheco back with a chinhigh fastball. Pacheco ultimately struck out.
Clemens came out of retirement again and re-signed with the Astros last Wednesday, agreeing to a $22 million contract to pitch for the rest of 2006. He has 341 wins and is second to Nolan Ryan on the career strikeout list with 4,502. Clemens has won seven Cy Young Awards, most recently for Houston in 2004.
