In Return, Clemens Has Something Left

NEW YORK, June 9 -- What the New York Yankees are asking Roger Clemens to do this season has less to do with the pitches that emerge from his 44-year-old right arm than with the authoring of moments like this one Saturday afternoon: Clemens pumping his first on the Yankee Stadium mound as another strikeout brings the sixth inning to a close, a crowd of 54,296 rising to its feet, Derek Jeter circling around him and giving the big man a playful swat as he strides toward the dugout.

It has less to do with radar readings and earned run average than with the infusion of energy and the championship aura that are part of the Clemens package, less to do with strikeouts and walks than with the epiphany that smacks you on the forehead every once in awhile -- that this is Roger Freakin' Clemens you're watching.

And it is a good thing, too -- because physically speaking, the Roger Clemens who showed up in pinstripes Saturday afternoon to make his 2007 big league debut was not the same one who left in 2003 for the hometown comfort of Houston.

Laboring at times, more deceptive than overpowering, more savvy craftsman than savage brute, Clemens plodded through six innings during a 108-pitch performance in the Yankees' 9-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates, the team's fifth straight win as it tries to salvage its season.

"It felt like old times," Clemens said.

Well, not quite. Clemens's fastball, one of the most feared weapons in the game during his prime, hovered in the 89-91 mph range and only once topped out at 92. He was touched for five hits, two walks and three earned runs by a lineup that ranks last in the National League in on-base percentage (.312). He did, however, strike out seven batters, giving him 4,611 for his career and overtaking Randy Johnson -- who had passed him during his absence -- for second place on the all-time list.

"It was enjoyable. You became a fan," Yankees Manager Joe Torre said. "You wanted it to be good."

"It" was good, to be sure -- that is, the entire Clemens experience. He walked into the Yankees' clubhouse at around 10 a.m. and dived into the task of meeting new teammates, learning new signs and scripting a game plan with catcher Jorge Posada. Then, having made it through five innings and 96 pitches with a 4-3 lead, Clemens surprised many in attendance by coming back out for the sixth, which turned out to be a 12-pitch breeze that produced his triumphant walk from the mound at its conclusion.

"I was surprised he was anxious to go back out for the sixth," Torre said.

But the question regarding Clemens remains: How good is he?

One scout in attendance Saturday shrugged and said, "He's a number three [starter]. . . . He had decent stuff, a nice splitter. Not bad for a first outing. He won't be happy with it -- he didn't have any 'finish' to his pitches."

"Every outing from here on out," Clemens said, "I expect to get stronger."

Torre was concerned enough about Clemens that, at one point, he asked pitcher Andy Pettitte -- who played with Clemens in Houston the last three seasons -- if what they were seeing was representative. Pettitte told him, "No, he wasn't sharp today."

"I'm sure he's going to throw harder than he did today once he gets in a groove," Torre said later. "I think it's going to get better -- it's going to get cleaner for him. . . . When he gets down the road a little bit, your expectations of him will be higher."

For Clemens, the best news was that his "fatigued" right groin -- which caused him to pull himself out of his original scheduled debut on June 4 -- gave him no troubles. However, he did move around gingerly on the mound when tested by bunts and dribblers, and he took the dugout stairs slowly when he went up or down them.

"My biggest hurdle is my legs," Clemens said. "I just don't want to go backwards. I've put my body through a lot and asked it to do a lot. I can only hope it continues to respond the way it did today."

As Clemens headed off the field following the sixth inning, his teammates met him at the top step of the dugout, while the crowd roared for a curtain call that never came. One might say the moment felt priceless, except we already know the price tag is roughly $17.4 million -- Clemens's prorated portion of the $28 million contract he signed.

But the Yankees are winning again, and Roger Clemens is back on the mound. If a balky bullpen or a balky groin don't bring them down, it could be a fabulous ride, as Saturday clearly showed.

"I'm going to savor this moment," Clemens said. "I know what's ahead of us, and it's a lot of work."