LEXINGTON, Ky. - As Roger Clemens began to scuttle a bit in hisminor-league tuneup, his son Koby went to the mound with someinspiration.
One more strikeout, Koby told him, and the 9,222 fans inattendance Tuesday night would get a free gallon of windshield wiperfluid. It worked as Clemens struck out the next two.
"He's a funny guy, isn't he?" the future Hall of Famer said of hisson.
With Koby behind him playing third base, Clemens made the firststep in his return to the Houston Astros by pitching three inningsfor the Astros' Class A Lexington Legends.
He showed pinpoint control and a sharp fastball in three inningsof work against the Lake County Captains, a Cleveland Indiansaffiliate. The only real blemish was a long home run.
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 againstMinnesota.
The 43-year-old Clemens is accustomed to facing the likes ofYankees center fielder Johnny Damon, but it was Captains centerfielder Johnny Drennen who took him deep Tuesday night.
Drennen, the third hitter Clemens faced, drove a fastball off theparty deck beyond the right-field wall for a solo homer.
Drennen said he got "goose bumps," but Clemens joked he just gavehim a pitch to hit because they share the same uniform number - No.22. "I'm sure I'll visit him tomorrow - ask him how that room servicewas," Clemens said.
Next up was Matt Fornasiere, who also hit the ball hard - lining adouble to right-center.
The only other hit Clemens allowed was a weakly hit infield singlein the third.
Otherwise, Clemens was hardly touched. He threw 62 pitches,allowed no walks and only the one run while striking out six - two ineach inning.
He tipped his hat and pumped his fist to thunderous applause by aLegends' record crowd as he came off the mound after the third.Clemens departed with the Legends ahead 5-1. They went on to win 7-4.
Niuman Romero, the Lake County Captain with the distinction ofdigging in first against the Rocket, struck out looking on fourpitches. In his second at-bat, he hit a deep fly to center.
It wouldn't be a Clemens outing without a brushback pitch, and hedidn't disappoint. He nailed Marshall Szabo in the shoulder andpushed Fernando Pacheco back with a chin-high fastball. Pachecoultimately struck out.
Besides his much-anticipated return to the mound, it was a specialgame for Clemens because he got to play with his son, the Legends'third baseman.
"The whole atmosphere was completely different with him on themound," Koby Clemens said. "You could feel his presence."
Koby delivered the game ball to his father before Clemens threwhis first pitch.
Koby Clemens has missed most of the season after breaking a fingerduring a slide. The Rocket said his son nudged him to get back intogame shape for a 23rd major league season, although Koby wasn't toopushy about which team his dad should choose.
Clemens said pitching alongside his son was among the highlightsof his illustrious career.
"It's definitely right there," he said. "There's nothing like it."
Clemens came out of retirement again and re-signed with the Astroslast Wednesday, agreeing to a $22 million contract to pitch for therest of 2006.
The number 22 or some variation of it seemed to be everywhereTuesday night. Not only did Clemens and Drennen both wear it, butalso it was written on the base path behind second base, there wasthe announced attendance of 9,222 and Clemens threw 22 pitches in thefirst inning.
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