Yankees' Rocket Finds New Pad to His Liking

Roger Clemens had been through the routine before. Warm up in the bullpen, touch the Babe Ruth monument and take the mound at Yankee Stadium.

The Rocket just hadn't done it in Yankee pinstripes.

Until Saturday, when he gave up three hits in 7 2/3 innings and struck out eight in a 5-0 victory over the Detroit Tigers at New York.

"It was very exciting going to work out there and to be able to walk off the home side of the field," he said. "I felt very much at home."

Clemens (1-0) was traded from the Toronto Blue Jays to the Yankees in February for David Wells, Graeme Lloyd and Homer Bush. Many fans were upset to lose Wells, whose perfect game and wild personality made him a cult hero, and especially for Clemens, who pitched 13 seasons for the rival Boston Red Sox and chose to sign with the Blue Jays instead of the Yankees after the 1996 season.

But he won the crowd over quickly. The fans gave him an ovation to start the game, then rose to their feet for each two-strike count. Silver rockets adorned the facade of the upper deck to mark each strikeout.

"I heard them every time I had two strikes, which is something I appreciate," he said. "It puts pressure on the hitter and gets my adrenaline pumping."

The Yankee offense was pumping too. Chili Davis and Scott Brosius homered for the second consecutive day, and Derek Jeter had a two-run triple in support of Clemens, who won his 16th consecutive decision, one short of the American League record.

The crowd of 42,058, the largest second-day crowd since the remodeled Yankee Stadium opened in 1976, gave Clemens a standing ovation when he left with two out in the eighth. Jeff Nelson finished with hitless relief.

"Clemens pretty much shut us down today," Tiger Manager Larry Parrish said. "You hate to give them the World Series already, but they have an awfully good shot to do it again."

Cleveland 12, Minnesota 7--Dwight Gooden failed to get out of the first inning, but it didn't matter as the Indians pounded out 16 hits at Minneapolis.

Gooden, despite a 6-0 first-inning lead, lasted only 29 pitches, giving up five runs and five hits and getting only two outs.

The Twins tied the score in the fifth on a double by Matt Lawton and a triple by Doug Mientkiewicz but the Indians, who got three-run homers by Manny Ramirez and Richie Sexson in the first against Benj Sampson, went back ahead on Sandy Alomar's seventh-inning sacrifice fly against Mike Lincoln (0-2).