Back in Yankee Stadium, Roger Clemens Makes Debut Again
June 10, 2007 — -- Baseball fans love a comeback. And they don't get any bigger than Rocket's re-launch.
Roger Clemens is one of the game's all-time greatest pitchers. And now at age 44, he's back on the mound in the house Babe Ruth built.
"It's not about age," said fan Wendy Pontrelli. "It's about what you got, inside and underneath, and he's got it."
He certainly did for his Yankees debut part deux, beating the Pittsburgh Pirates Saturday afternoon after pitching six innings. He struck out seven, including the last two batters he faced.
"It was just a great day," Clemens said. "The guys fired them runs up there, and it was a great day."
Clemens started his major league career 24 years ago. Since then, he's won seven Cy Young Awards and helped the Yankees win two World Series. He said he was retiring after the 2003 season. But he was back the very next year with the Houston Astros. And now he's back again in front of a new generation.
"He's a good pitcher," said 8-year-old fan Brett Kelley. "He's like the best."
Another fan said he was sharing this moment with his son.
"One of the greatest pitchers of my generation, and my son is catching on to the last part of his career," said Kevin Kelley. "So, the father-son combination is awesome."
Some players said being on the field with Roger Clemens makes them feel like little boys again. Some fans said they feel like they've shed a few years, too.
"The average guy who sits on the couch and watches him looks up and says, 'Hey, I give this guy a lot of credit for being out there and doing that,'" said New York Times national baseball writer Jack Curry.
But the paycheck counts, too. Along with the standing ovation, Clemens left Yankee Stadium with more than $1 million for this one game.
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