Clemens to fire Yankees
ByReuters
Published 07/05/2007 at 04:31 GMT
Baseball's balance of power may have shifted back New York's way when future Hall-of-Fame pitcher Roger Clemens told a crowd of 52,553 fans in the Bronx that the Yankees had taken a bold step in its arms race with Boston.
MLB 2006 Houston Astros Roger Clemens
Image credit: Imago
"They came and got me out of Texas," Clemens said over a microphone from owner George Steinbrenner's box during the seventh-inning stretch of Sunday's game against Seattle. "It's a privilege to be back."
The scoreboard in center field carried the message "Roger Clemens is now a Yankee!" and the crowd roared at the notion that the 44-year-old Texan fire-baller would ride to the rescue of New York's injury-depleted pitching staff.
Boston boasts the best record in the American League at 20-10, buoyed by a pitching staff that includes Japanese star Daisuke Matsuzaka, who cost the Red Sox $103 million in salary and posting fees this winter as they outbid the Yanks.
'The Rocket' did not come cheaply either.
The burly right-hander with a career mark of 348-178 and second all-time in strikeouts will earn a $28 million salary - the highest in baseball - pro-rated based on the date he joins the major league roster, according to the New York Times.
Clemens threw for the Yankees from 1999 to 2003, appearing in four World Series during that stretch, before announcing his retirement.
He changed his mind and from 2004, played with his hometown Houston Astros after close friend Andy Pettitte left the Yankees to pitch there.
Pettitte returned to Yankees this off-season.
Clemens had announced he would begin the season late, as he did in 2006 for the Astros, if he returned to major league action this year.
He specified Houston, New York and Boston, his original team, as possible destinations.
New York, eager to bolster their depleted rotation, pushed for an early return and he has targeted June 1st as a possible date for his first start.
Boston and Houston preferred welcoming Clemens aboard next month and that made the difference, according to his agent Randy Hendricks.
"The Yankees said, 'we're ready when you are. We would like you yesterday,'" Hendricks said.
Clemens told reporters he moved up his timetable at the coaxing of some of his former Yankee team mates.
"The Yankees have been in both my ears the whole time. Speeding up my workouts was from a lot of the guys here," he said.
New York felt a sense of urgency with early injuries to Chien-Ming Wang and Mike Mussina, and more recently to Carl Pavano, prized rookie Philip Hughes and Jeff Karstens.
"I was getting phone calls and e-mails from a lot of the guys here," Clemens added. "I've kept in touch with Andy [Pettitte] and some of the others."
Similar to his previous arrangement with Houston, Clemens will have latitude in deciding which road trips he makes in order to free up time to spend with his family.
"Last year we disqualified ourselves," Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said about not pursuing Clemens because of the demands for special treatment.
"Joe [Torre] and I talked this winter and spring about it and Joe engaged the leadership of our club in terms of our players, and it was a positive response; that this is a unique individual that would allow that to work.
"He'll be here at times and may not be here at other times. But I know one thing. We'll be very happy every five days when he shows up on the mound."
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