Clemens aims for Saturday

CHICAGO -- Roger Clemens still hopes to make his 2007 Yankees debut against the Pittsburgh Pirates Saturday after an MRI showed he had a scar tissue injury in his right groin.

Clemens had originally planned to start last night against the White Sox. He scratched himself from the outing because of what the Yankees said then was a fatigued groin, an injury that he first felt during a minor league outing May 28.

"We knew [the MRI] wasn't going to show anything," manager Joe Torre said. "He's had previous problems there. Just the fact that there was old scar tissue leads us to believe he'll pitch Saturday."

He had an MRI in Tampa, and Yankees spokesman Jason Zillo said the scan showed Clemens had disrupted scar tissue.

Clemens played catch yesterday in the outfield during a 2-hour-50-minute, mostly indoor workout at the Yankees minor league complex.

He didn't stop to talk with reporters when he departed.

The seven-time Cy Young Award winner plans to throw a bullpen session in Tampa tomorrow, Zillo said.

In his latest comeback, the 44-year-old Clemens made three minor league tuneup starts and pitched six scoreless innings in his most recent one for Triple A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, allowing two hits and striking out six.