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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
NEW YORK (AP) -- Roger Clemens and Mike Piazza were at it again.
This time about a thrown bat, not a ball.
And when the benches emptied in the very first inning, it was
clear this Subway Series had a definite mean streak, fueled by a
beaning that was far from forgotten.
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Game 2 at a glance
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Every game a hero
This was vintage Roger Clemens. You know, the one that blew away the Seattle Mariners in his last start. Against the Mets, Clemens pitched eight masterful innings, mixing high heat and a nasty splitter to allow just two hits and no runs while striking out nine. In his last two postseason starts, Clemens has now allowed just three hits in 17 innings while striking out 24.
Key play
After the Yankees took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first, Todd Zeile singled in the second. Lenny Harris then uncorked a drive toward the 314 sign down the right-field line. It had enough home run distance -- but landed just foul. It was the only hard-hit ball off Clemens the entire night.
Key number
Sure, Jeff Nelson and Mariano Rivera gave up five runs in the ninth. But the Yankees are now 107-1 in their World Series history when leading after eight innings. Their only loss was Bill Bevens' near no-hitter in 1947.
ESPN analysis
The Yankees hitters took a great approach at the plate. They were patient hitters who did a lot of things we have seen from them over the years. They worked the count and had seven two-out hits. That proved to be the difference late in the game when they got extra runs in the seventh and eighth innings. The Mets, though, have to feel encouraged about putting up five runs against Jeff Nelson and Mariano Rivera in the ninth inning. But they need to cash in. They've looked a little shaky on defense, making three errors in the field. They need to relax a bit. Maybe the surroundings at Shea Stadium will help.
-- Buck Martinez
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Clemens set the tone right away and pitched eight shutout
innings and the New York Yankees held off the New York Mets'
five-run ninth for a 6-5 victory Sunday night and a 2-0 lead in the
World Series.
The late rally and the Yankees' record 14th straight Series
victory, however, did not overshadow what happened at the start.
And the question remained: Did Clemens try to hit Piazza with the
broken barrel of a bat, or did he just throw it in his direction?
"There was no intent," Clemens said repeatedly. "I was fired
up and emotional and flung the bat toward the on-deck circle where
the batboy was. I had no idea that Mike was running.
"I guess it came close to him," he said. "I came back into
the dugout and I said I've got to get control of my emotions and
calm down."
Asked about the play, Yankees manager Joe Torre snapped,
uncharacteristically: "Let's try to analyze it: Why would he throw
it at him? So he could get thrown out of the game in the second
game of the World Series? Does that make any sense to anybody?
Somebody answer me."
The umpires agreed, and did not eject Clemens. But Mets reliever
John Franco wasn't so sure it was innocent.
"I think he knew what he was doing all along and is coming up
with excuses," he said.
Said Piazza: "It was just so bizarre."
"When he threw the bat, I basically walked out and kept asking
him what his problem was," Piazza said. "He really had no
response.
"I was trying to figure out whether it was intentional or not.
I was going to ask him. If it was, then obviously he really no had
response," he said. "I was more shocked and confused than
anything."
Piazza seemed to unleash all his fury in the ninth, hitting a
two-run homer off reliever Jeff Nelson. Jay Payton later hit a
three-run homer off Mariano Rivera to make it 6-5.
Scott Brosius homered off loser Mike Hampton and hit a sacrifice
fly, and Paul O'Neill, Derek Jeter and Tino Martinez each had three
hits for the Yankees.
For the second straight night, the Mets looked lost at Yankee
Stadium, this time making three early errors as a sellout crowd of
56,059 hooted.
Now, when the Series shifts to Shea Stadium for Game 3 Tuesday
night, the Mets must hope Rick Reed can somehow beat Orlando
Hernandez, the only pitcher ever to win his first eight postseason
decisions.
|  | | Roger Clemens and Mike Piazza cross paths after Piazza grounded out to end the first. Moments before, Clemens threw a broken bat Piazza's way; the incident that cleared both benches. |
His cap pulled down low and his glove held high to shield all
but his eyes, Clemens held the Mets to two singles.
The Rocket was clearly revved up from the start, bouncing all
around the diamond to congratulate his fielders. He hardly needed a
lot of help as he struck out nine and walked none.
Nelson took over to start the ninth and gave up a single to
Edgardo Alfonzo, Piazza's homer high off the left-field foul pole
and a single to Robin Ventura.
At that point, Rivera relieved and closed it out, though it
wasn't easy. Left fielder Clay Bellinger had to reach at the top of
the wall to rob Todd Zeile of a two-run homer, and after Benny
Agbayani singled, Payton homered. Rivera struck out Kurt Abbott to
end it.
Throwing 97-mph fastballs -- along with the barrel of a shattered
bat in Piazza's path -- Clemens evened his career postseason record
at 5-5 in 16 starts. This win came after his one-hit, 15-strikeout
shutout over Seattle in Game 4 of the ALCS.
In that victory over the Mariners, Clemens showed he meant
business by buzzing two fastballs past Alex Rodriguez in the
opening inning.
But that did not nearly match the fury that erupted in the first
inning against the Mets.
Ever since the Mets-Yankees matchup was set, the whole city
wondered what would happen when Clemens faced Piazza for the first
time since hitting him in the head with a fastball in an
interleague game July 9.
Torre even talked about how, given his choice, he'd prefer not
to have Clemens start a game at Shea, where he would have to bat
and give Mets pitchers a chance to take revenge.
Before this game, Torre tried to play down the lingering
feelings between the star players, and the local fans.
"I'd like to believe they'd rather watch the World Series than
to see if Roger Clemens is going to hit him again, or if Mike is
going to throw the bat at him," Torre said.
Fat chance.
Clemens struck out Timo Perez and Alfonzo to start the game, and
that brought up Piazza.
Boos filled the ballpark as Piazza, 7-for-12 with three home
runs lifetime against Clemens, slowly walked to the plate.
Then on a 1-2 count, all the tension that had been brewing
suddenly blew up.
Piazza shattered his bat on a foul ball, and the barrel went
skittering toward the mound. Clemens instantly reacted, grabbing
the broken piece and furiously slinging it in Piazza's path as the
Mets star jogged toward first base.
Piazza stopped with the bat handle in his hand, looked at
Clemens and took a couple of steps in his direction. As plate
umpire Charlie Reliford rushed between them, players from the
dugouts and bullpens ran onto the field.
There was some pushing, but no punching, as Clemens and Piazza
were kept apart and order was quickly restored.
Mets manager Bobby Valentine said he was watching the ball,
rather than Clemens, and did not see what happened.
"It's my screwup if I should've protested the game or
something," he said.
When the inning ended, Clemens walked over to Reliford and said
the words "my fault" during a 30-second discussion.
Said Reliford: "I don't think he threw the bat at him on
purpose. He's just a competitor."
"He just picked up the bat and winged it," umpire crew chief
Ed Montague said. "It was just an emotional deal that built over
the months."
Piazza grounded out on the next pitch, and that was the last
sign of trouble between the two stars. Piazza went hitless in three
at-bats against Clemens.
The problems for the Mets, though, were just beginning.
Hampton, the MVP of the NLCS with 16 shutout innings against St.
Louis, retired the first two batters in the bottom half before
walking David Justice and Bernie Williams. Tino Martinez and Jorge
Posada followed with RBI singles, and the Yankees were ahead for
good.
Brosius hit his seventh career postseason home run to start the
second and O'Neill hit an RBI single in the fifth. Brosius added a
sacrifice fly in the seventh off Rick White and Martinez singled
home a run in the eighth off Dennis Cook.
Game notes
Of the 46 previous teams to take a 2-0 lead in the World
Series, 35 of them (76 percent) went on to win the championship.
... Jeter extended his World Series hitting streak to 11 games. ...
Zeile caught some of the pregame activity with his video camera.
Among those in his sights: director Spike Lee and actor Kurt
Russell.
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ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
NY Mets Clubhouse
NY Yankees Clubhouse
Stark: Clemens in his own little world
Gammons: It's Clemens' pitching that counts
McAdam: Expect the unexpected from Clemens
Frozen moment: O'Neill's last stand?
At-bat of the night: Martinez's single
Stark: Useless facts from the World Series
RECAPS
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Joe Torre gets a little emotional during the Yankees' postgame news conference.
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Bobby Valentine talks with the press after the Mets' Game 2 loss to the Yankees.
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 Roger Clemens talks with ESPN's Charley Steiner about his Game 2 victory over the Mets.
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Mike Piazza comments on Roger Clemens' first-inning antics in Game 2.
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Manager Bobby Valentine was unaware of Roger Clemens' bat throwing incident until the benches cleared.
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Mets GM Steve Phillips could not understand why Roger Clemens would throw a bat at Mike Piazza.
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