Clemens has a grand stage for his finale

By Gordon Edes, Globe Staff, 10/22/2003

MIAMI -- The Roger Clemens Farewell Scene, Take Two:

In which our intrepid hero, who was shot off his horse in a previous attempt to ride off into the sunset -- the bad guys in the previous version were the Boston Red Sox, who clearly forgot to read their lines and drove Clemens out of the game in the fourth inning of Game 7 of the ALCS -- gets another chance at writing a happy ending to his Hall of Fame career.

"I'll be happy, but yet I'll be sad," said Clemens, who will start for the Yankees tonight in Game 4 of the 99th World Series. "I'm just grateful for this opportunity to be able to go out there again on the grandest stage and have an opportunity to work."

When it comes to Clemens's World Series moments, Boston fans remember his exit from Game 6 in 1986, when he either did or didn't ask out because of a blister on his finger. He insists he never wanted to come out; his manager at the time, John McNamara, insists otherwise.

But overall, Clemens can point at an impressive World Series pedigree, especially if you're generous enough to overlook his bizarre behavior in the 2000 World Series, when he hurled a piece of Mike Piazza's broken bat in the direction of the Mets catcher.

Clemens has made seven previous World Series starts, and has never been charged with a loss. He's 3-0 with a 1.56 ERA, his ERA the 10th best among Series pitchers with at least 30 innings. He distinguished himself in 2001 against Arizona, winning Game 3, 2-1, allowing three hits while striking out nine in seven innings, then hooked up with Curt Schilling in a memorable Game 7 duel, striking out 10 and allowing just one run in 6 1/3 innings). Those games went a long way to dispel any notion of a lack of big-game fortitude for the Rocket.

He also was the winning pitcher in the clinching game of the Yankees' four-game sweep of the Braves in 1999, his first year in pinstripes.

At 41 years, 2 months, and 18 days, Clemens becomes the third-oldest pitcher to start a Series game. Only Jack Quinn, who was 45 in 1929 when he pitched for the Philadelphia Athletics, and Grover Cleveland Alexander, who was 41 years, 7 months, and 13 days when he started for the 1928 Cardinals, were older. No 40-something pitcher ever has won a Series start; David Wells, Clemens's Yankees teammate, was the most recent to fail, taking the loss in Game 1.

Clemens is the first 300-game winner to start a Series game since Steve Carlton, who won his 300th game on Sept. 23, 1983, then lost, 3-2, to the Orioles in Game 3 of the '83 Series.

Clemens noted yesterday how his first pro start ever came in Florida -- for Single A Winter Haven -- in 1983. That summer, he turned 21 years old.

"I was pretty nervous getting ready to walk into the professional clubhouse to see a bunch of other guys that were already pros and had their time in the league," he said.

"It was pretty intimidating. Even though I was the No. 1 pick, everything I brought with me to the table out of the University of Texas, it was still pretty nerve-wracking. I found out very fast, of course, once I made it to the majors in '84, they were expecting a lot from me."

There are still folks unprepared to believe Clemens's pledge that he is retiring after the season.

"I'm dead serious on what I'm doing," he said, adding in the next breath, "I'm pretty set on it."

A more likely scenario is that the Rocket will represent the US in the Olympics next August in Athens.

"Again, my emotions will be happy and sad," he said. "Happy that I know it's over and I'm healthy. I pretty much touched on every aspect of the game that I could. I did it right. I put the time in to be successful at this level. I'll be sad because it's my last game and that to go out there and compete will be . . . I won't have that. I won't be able to do that."

Pavano plays part

Pedro Martinez's shadow is all over tonight's game. Opposing Clemens, who was succeeded by Martinez in Boston, will be Carl Pavano, who was traded along with Tony Armas Jr. for Martinez on Nov. 18, 1997, perhaps Dan Duquette's finest hour as GM of the Red Sox. (Duquette, incidentally, is rumored to be part of the new Dodgers management team if Frank McCourt wins approval as the team's new owner).

Pavano was traded by the Expos in July 2002 in the deal that made Cliff Floyd an Expo, until the Expos flipped Floyd to the Sox for pitchers Sunny Kim and Seung Song.

At the time the Sox traded Pavano, he was ranked the top pitching prospect in the International League. Elbow problems set him back, but Pavano was healthy this season and pitched 201 innings, a career best, going 12-13 with a 4.30 ERA.

Pavano, a native of Southington, Conn., said he went to Yankees games as a kid, but upon signing with the Sox was exposed to the Clemens legend.

"The film they showed all of us pitchers was his 20-strikeout game against the Detroit Tigers," Pavano said. "To emulate something like that would be practically impossible. I mean, maybe possible, but it was definitely something, at the age of 20, you're automatically in awe of that situation."

Moyer honored

Seattle Mariners pitcher Jamie Moyer won the Roberto Clemente Award for excellence on the field and in the community . . . Gloria Estefan sang the anthem . . . Mike Tyson created a stir when he made his entrance after the game had begun . . . Marlins shortstop Alex Gonzalez was 4 for 46 in the postseason when he doubled off Mike Mussina in the second.