ATLANTA — Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte denied allegations that they had used performance-enhancing drugs, with Clemens saying he was angry and Pettitte saying he was embarrassed by a report that first appeared in The Times.
"I'm not embarrassed at all," Clemens said in the Houston clubhouse Sunday morning before the Astros were eliminated from playoff contention by a 3-1 loss to the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field. "I'm angry about it. It just shouldn't happen."
Clemens and Pettitte, his Astros teammate, were among six players named in a federal agent's affidavit connected to the investigation of former pitcher Jason Grimsley. A source revealed to The Times names on the affidavit that originally had been blacked out when the document was filed in federal court.
Clemens called the act of leaking the names "very dangerous and malicious and reckless" and said he would consider legal action if one of his sponsors decided to drop him as a client as a result of the allegations.
The Astros pitchers said they had heard rumors that their names were included in the affidavit several months ago but didn't know for sure until The Times' report surfaced Saturday night. The other players named on the affidavit were Miguel Tejada, Brian Roberts, Jay Gibbons and David Segui.
"I'm stunned, obviously," Pettitte said. "To tell you the truth, I would have bet my life that there was no way possible my name could even be on the affidavit."
Clemens and Pettitte reiterated that they had never tested positive for any banned substance under Major League Baseball's 3-year-old testing policy, and Clemens said he had passed what he described as "more strenuous" Olympics-style testing for the World Baseball Classic.
"I've been tested plenty of times," said Clemens, 44. "My physicals I've taken, they've taken my blood work [and] I've passed every test anybody wants."
Pettitte, 34, said he was especially disappointed because, "I absolutely killed myself over my career to work as hard as I possibly can to be as good as I possibly can and have it done natural."
In Boston, the Orioles' Gibbons reiterated his innocence and said he and his teammates get tired of the drug questions.
"It's obviously a distraction, and you hate distractions in the clubhouse," Gibbons told the Baltimore Sun. "It'd be nice for this to all be behind us, and it will be eventually. It's something that we don't like dealing with."
