Roger Clemens got his milestones two at a time.
The Rocket finally reached 300 wins Friday night and entered an even more exclusive club, becoming only the third pitcher with 4,000 strikeouts as he led the New York Yankees over the St. Louis Cardinals 5-2.
Clemens (7-4) was the 21st pitcher to make it 300, and did it on his fourth try.
PHOTO: AP
"Four thousand and 300 puts me with some great names that ever played the game, that ever stepped on that mound," Clemens said.
"To have these two milestones I was able to achieve tonight, it was really special," he added. "Everybody can stop chasing me around the country."
Clemens allowed two runs in 6 2-3 innings and struck out 10, raising his total to 4,006 on an unusually cool, damp night. He threw 120 pitches before handing a lead to New York's bullpen for his third straight start.
PHOTO: AP
Handed a 3-2 advantage, this time Chris Hammond escaped the seventh-inning jam he created, and Antonio Osuna and Mariano Rivera pitched perfect innings. A sellout crowd of 55,214 cheered while Clemens' teammates hugged him in the dugout after the final out.
Clemens jogged onto the field as Elton John's "Rocket Man" played over the public-address system. He raised both arms, tipped his cap to the fans in right field, then left, then touched his heart.
"I really wanted it to happen here. That's why I signed back here," said Clemens, who could have left as a free agent last winter.
Clemens walked back to near the Yankees dugout and 7-year-old Kody, his youngest son, jumped into his arms as his wife, Debbie, gave Clemens a hug.
His other three sons -- Koby, Kory and Kacy -- took their turns scooping up dirt from the mound and putting it in bags as keepsakes, followed by Kody, who went out to the mound all by himself. After the game, the sons followed him through the Yankee Stadium corridors, like ducks trailing their parents.
"That's probably every player's dream, to be out there with your son," said the Cardinals' Joe Girardi, Clemens' former catcher on the Yankees.
As fans chanted Clemens' name, Girardi and Tino Martinez -- another former Yankee -- remained in the St. Louis dugout watching the celebration.
"It's amazing, the hard work, the dedication he put in," Martinez said.
Many family members and friends had followed Clemens from city to city for the past three weeks, wanting to be on hand for his history-making night.
But his mother, Bess, suffering from emphysema and coming off a bout with pneumonia, was well enough to attend only his first try.
Clemens got teary-eyed as he talked about her.
"Mom, I love you," he said.
After the game, he called her on a telephone.
"She sounded great," he said. "Probably pitching every pitch with me."
Flashbulbs popped from Clemens' first pitch. Even though the game was played in a drizzle, the excitement over his quest created a postseason feel for the first game that counted between the Yankees and Cardinals since the 1964 World Series. Clemens, baseball's only six-time Cy Young Award winner, reached the milestones in his 20th and probably final major league season.
The 40-year-old right-hander (300-155) became the 21st 300-game winner, the first since Nolan Ryan, another Texas fastballer, in 1990.
"I still have my fastball," Clemens said. "I'm still a power pitcher, and I enjoy that."
Phil Niekro was the only other pitcher to win his 300th game while playing for the Yankees. The knuckleballer did it at Toronto in 1985 while wearing a road gray uniform, making Clemens the first to do it in Yankees pinstripes.
Ryan (5,714) and Steve Carlton (4,136) are the only pitchers with more strikeouts. Clemens started strongly, striking out six of his first eight batters -- his first six outs all came on strikeouts as he relied on his fastball.
But coming off a 10-day bout with bronchitis, Clemens labored noticeably in the fourth and fifth innings, stranding three runners, and twice failed to protect one-run leads.
Before the seventh, pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre told Clemens he could face just two more batters. And Yankees manager Joe Torre was booed loudly when he walked to the mound to remove Clemens with two outs in the seventh inning and Cardinals' No. 2 hitter, JD Drew, coming up.
Clemens, who allowed six hits and two walks, got a standing ovation from the crowd as he walked to the Yankees dugout on the first-base side, twice tipping his cap.
"I told Roger after the game, `I used to be popular here,'" said Torre, who has led the Yankees to four World Series titles.
"I would have booed, too, if I had been sitting in the stands. They wanted Roger to pitch the complete game, but that wasn't going to happen where his pitch count was," he said.
Torre waited out at the mound, then was booed again as he returned separately to the dugout. While Debbie Clemens was "upset" with the decision, her husband had no problem with it.
"You can never question what this man does," Clemens said. "He's so important to why we win."
The booing intensified when Drew bunted for a single on Hammonds' first pitch and Albert Pujols singled him to second. Hammond escaped the jam when Jim Edmonds grounded out.
"It got a little hairy out there, but I got the third out," Hammond said. "To me, it felt like the seventh game of the World Series."
Hideki Matsui, Ruben Sierra and Raul Mondesi all homered off Jason Simontacchi (4-4) to provide the offense for New York, which has won two straight since six Houston pitchers patched together the first no-hitter against the Yankees in 45 years.
Clemens, who came to New York in 1999 following 13 seasons with Boston and two with Toronto, got his 299th win on May 21 at Fenway Park, but five days later lost 8-4 to the Red Sox at Yankee Stadium. The bullpen then wasted leads June 1 at Detroit and June 7 in his first start at Chicago's Wrigley Field.
Clemens looked pumped at the beginning, throwing fastballs past helpless Cardinals' batters. He struck out his first three batters, moving within one of 4,000. Then after allowing a home run and a double at the start of the second, he got Edgar Renteria to miss a 3-2 pitch. Catcher Jorge Posada went out to the mound to shake Clemens' hand, and the ball was taken out of play.
"I know he's going to the Hall of Fame. I know my name's going to be there, too," said Renteria, initially unaware he was a record victim.
Devil Rays 7, Pirates 1
In St. Petersburg, Florida, Victor Zambrano overcame control problems to allow one run in seven innings as Tampa Bay beat Pittsburgh. The Devil Rays snapped a season-high seven game losing streak after manager Lou Piniella said he will dye his hair any ``legit color'' the players want if the team put together three straight wins.
Twins 3, Diamondbacks 1
In Minneapolis, Torii Hunter's two-run, tiebreaking single in the sixth inning gave Johan Santana and Minnesota a victory over Arizona.
Junior Spivey's sacrifice fly accounted for Arizona's only run against Santana, who gave up two hits and a walk in seven innings. He struck out seven.
Santana (4-1) has won each of his three starts this season, yielding only two runs in 18 innings. Eddie Guardado pitched the ninth for his 19th save in 20 chances.
Dodgers 4, Indians 3, 10 innings
In Cleveland, Jolbert Cabrera came back to haunt his former team, hitting an RBI double in the 10th inning to lift Los Angeles over Cleveland in the first matchup between the teams in 83 years.
Cabrera, traded by the Indians last July, doubled off Jake Westbrook (3-4) for the Dodgers, who were still in Brooklyn when they last played Cleveland in the 1920 World Series.
Paul Quantrill (1-2) pitched one inning for the win, Eric Gagne got his 25th save.
Rockies 7, Tigers 2
In Detroit, Chris Stynes hit a two-run single, and Mark Sweeney followed with a three-run homer in a six-run sixth inning as Colorado handed Detroit its eighth straight loss.
The Tigers lost for the 25th time at home this season.
Shawn Chacon (9-3) won for the fourth time in five starts, allowing two runs on eight hits and two walks in 7 1-3 innings.
Detroit led 2-1 until the Rockies scored six in the sixth.
Nate Cornejo (3-4) gave up six runs on 10 hits and three walks in five-plus innings. He is 0-2 in his last six starts.
Blue Jays 5, Cubs 1
In Toronto, Kelvim Escobar struck out a season-high 10 as Toronto beat Chicago for its fifth straight win.
Reed Johnson, Chris Woodward and Greg Myers homered for the Blue Jays, who are eight games over .500 for the first time since May 1, 2001. They have won seven straight at home.
Escobar (4-3), who shut out Cincinnati last Sunday, worked around 10 hits through eight innings. The Cubs ended his shutout bid when Damian Miller and Tom Goodwin hit consecutive doubles with one out.
Goodwin's double stopped Escobar's scoreless-inning streak at 17 innings. Escobar, who walked none, was pulled after the hit.
The Cubs fell to 1-2 without suspended slugger Sammy Sosa.
Kerry Wood (5-5) allowed five runs on seven hits in six innings.
White Sox 5, Padres 3
In Chicago, Magglio Ordonez, Frank Thomas and Armando Rios homered as Chicago beat San Diego. White Sox starter Esteban Loaiza failed to become the American League's second 10-game winner this season, leaving with the score tied at 3 after five innings. He gave up six hits and struck out four. Seattle's Jamie Moyer is 10-2.
Rios hit a go-ahead home run off Padres reliever Scott Linebrink (1-2) in the sixth.
Tom Gordon (3-5) struck out four and gave up two hits in 1 2-3 innings for the victory. Billy Koch pitched the ninth for his seventh save in nine opportunities.
Royals 6, Giants 1
In Kansas City, Missouri, Michael Tucker and Desi Relaford hit two-run home runs, leading the Royals past San Francisco in the Giants' first game in Kansas City.
Barry Bonds failed to homer for the first time in five games, going 2-for-4 with two singles -- and a strikeout with two on in the ninth. He reached base for the 35th consecutive game, the longest current streak in the majors.
Chris George (7-4) won for the third time in four decisions. He was relieved after striking out Bonds for the first out of the seventh inning. George gave up 10 hits with two walks.
Jason Schmidt (5-3) went six innings, giving up seven hits and four runs. He had allowed just one hit when Joe Randa led off the fourth with his eighth home run.
Randa set the Royals record by playing his 70th consecutive game at third base without an error.
Red Sox 4, Astros 3
In Boston, Ryan Rupe pitched six innings in his rainy debut with the Red Sox and Johnny Damon hit a tiebreaking homer as Boston defeated Houston.
Ricky Stone (4-2) took the loss.
Marlins 8, Rangers 0
In Arlington, Texas, Ivan Rodriguez had an RBI single and scored twice in his first game as an opposing player at Texas, and caught Florida's third shutout of the season.
Texas was held to five hits and was shut out for the second night in a row, and the fourth time this season. Mike Lowell hit his 19th homer for the Marlins, who roughed up Tony Mounce (0-1) in his major league debut. Juan Encarnacion had three hits and drove in two runs.
Orioles 7, Brewers 2
In Baltimore, Jay Gibbons hit two homers, including his first career grand slam, and Sidney Ponson won his fifth straight start as Baltimore beat Milwaukee.
Gibbons' fifth-inning slam off Jayson Durocher gave the Orioles a 5-0 lead and sent Glendon Rusch (1-10) to his career-high ninth successive defeat.
Gibbons made it 7-1 with a two-run shot in the seventh. His six RBIs were a career high.
Mariners 2, Braves 1
In Seattle, Freddy Garcia won his fourth straight start and Seattle took advantage of two mistakes by Atlanta to win a matchup between teams with baseball's best records.
Garcia (7-6), a two-time All-Star and Seattle's ace, lost his bid for a shutout in the eighth on Marcus Giles' RBI double.
Meeting the Braves (44-21) for the first time in history, the Mariners (44-21) beat Russ Ortiz (7-4).
Mets 7, Angels 3
In Anaheim, California, Jeromy Burnitz homered and drove in three runs, and Timo Perez hit his first home run of the season as New York beat Anaheim.
Mike Bacsik (1-1) allowed two runs, six hits and no walks in five innings, pitching in place of injured Pedro Astacio. He struck out three in his second start this season.
The Mets' third straight victory tied a season high.
Athletics 8, Expos 4
In Oakland, California, Ramon Hernandez hit a three-run homer and drove in a career high-tying four runs, and Mark Mulder remained unbeaten at home as Oakland defeated Montreal.
National League
Adam Dunn hit his 21st home run and bowled over Philadelphia catcher Mike Lieberthal, then charged the mound and touched off a brawl during a 15-1 victory Friday night.
Dunn went after reliever Carlos Silva, who threw two inside fastballs the next time he came to bat after his shoulder-down hit on Lieberthal while trying to score.
Dunn, a football player at Texas, dropped his bat, tightened his batting glove and headed for the mound. Lieberthal dived and tackled Dunn from behind as the Reds slugger reached the mound.
Silva glanced a punch off the side of Dunn's head as he lay on the ground.
Dunn and Sean Casey were ejected for the Reds. Silva, manager Larry Bowa and closer Jose Mesa also were ejected.
The sixth-inning brawl overshadowed a two-homer, five-RBI game by Jason LaRue and a breakthrough win for Jimmy Haynes (1-5), who pitched a three-hitter for his first victory since last Sept. 24.
The hard feelings grew as the Reds pounded Kevin Millwood (8-4) and turned the tables on the Phillies, who scored a club-record 13 runs in one inning during their last game at Great American Ball Park. Tempers flared as the Reds hit three homers, piled up 22 hits and mixed in a little rough-and-tumble play.
The crowd of 30,144 booed loudly as Silva left the field, his shirt torn open and his cap missing.
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