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Wednesday, August 30 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Clemens wakes up after season's low point Special to ESPN.com | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
By the time the Yankees' lead had come and gone -- finally reclaimed by Tino Martinez's RBI single in the ninth inning, giving the Bombers a 10-9 victory over Texas -- Roger Clemens had been pushed outside the sphere of most Bombers' thoughts.
After all, there are mini-crises flaring everywhere in the Bronx these days. Who can ignore the bullpen's sudden vulnerability, which was underscored by a heated exchange between Joe Torre and Jeff Nelson on Sunday? Or Chuck Knoblauch's elbow injury, which is keeping him on the DL and mystifying doctors, and most tragically, news of Darryl Strawberry's declining health in his battle with colon cancer.
That was the Rocket's low point, allowing the Yankees' archrivals eight earned runs in five innings, including Mike Piazza's grand slam. That dropped Clemens' record to a dismal 4-6 and soon after, Clemens was placed on the DL with hamstring problems. While rehabbing in Tampa, he came face to face with Steinbrenner. According to Yankee people, The Boss did indeed get in Clemens' face, challenging him to wake up and remember Wells had been out-pitching him in Toronto. One member of the organization said Clemens returned from Tampa, "pretty (ticked) off" at the Boss, but apparently, motivated, too. "I think Roger needed to have that fire lit in him, " Torre said. "Ever since then, he's been a more aggressive pitcher. He's actually calmer, too. I know it sounds crazy, but Roger is calm and aggressive at the same time." Yankee pitching guru Billy Connors, who has breathed life into the careers of both Dwight Gooden and David Cone, said he emphasized to Clemens, "the importance of pitching inside" -- which may or may not have contributed to the beaning of Piazza at Yankee Stadium on July 8. New Yorkers are predictably split on whether the Rocket deliberately threw at the Mets catcher, fracturing a bone in his face, but there's no disputing that Clemens has been reborn since the incident. He was 5-0 with a 1.91 ERA in July, and has a 2.70 ERA overall since the All-Star break. "The big thing has been throwing strikes with my breaking pitches, getting better counts for my fastball," Clemens said. "I really don't think I'm throwing any harder or better now, but the difference is being 0-2 on a lot of hitters, where before I was 2-0 and 3-1. That makes it tougher to pitch." Even on nights when Clemens doesn't have his most devastating fastball -- as was the case against Texas on Wednesday -- he perseveres. The right-hander allowed four runs in the first three innings, including two solo home runs to Rusty Greer. Yet, Clemens proceeded to shut Texas down for his final three innings, while the Yankees entrusted a 7-4 lead to Mike Stanton and Jeff Nelson, neither of whom was effective. It was the third sizeable lead the Yankees' pen squandered in a week. Still, Clemens' work prompted Torre to say, "Roger battled his tail off. He came out with a lead that we should have been able to hold onto, but we weren't able to. Roger had to battle through pitching with less than what he's normally pitched with and still wound up with a three-run lead." It was a minor setback for Clemens, an annoyance for Torre, and an on-going problem in the bullpen. Still, the Bombers may have found their ace, finally. Or at least an answer to a organization-wide question: Has the Rocket really returned? Better question: Where did he go in the first place? Bob Klapisch of the Bergen (N.J.) Record writes his Baseball in the Big Apple column throughout the season. | ALSO SEE Yankees offense rates 10 as rally defeats Rangers |