It's a high-five for Clement

Matt Clement's complete-game victory over the Atlanta Braves yesterday at Fenway Park was almost as easy as 1-2-3.

Clement's nine innings of two-run, four-hit pitching included seven perfect innings.

Only Atlanta's three-hit, two-run fourth and a ninth-inning leadoff single by Pete Orr marred Clement's otherwise clean slate that eliminated any thoughts by manager Terry Francona of pulling the plug on the former Marlin and Cub after the eighth.

''There was no reason to go get him," said Francona, who pulled Clement after 5 2/3 innings in his last start, Tuesday in Oakland, Calif. ''He attacked the strike zone very aggressively. His ball moved so much. And when he gets ahead of hitters, he puts them in a tough spot."

Clement, who entered the game with a 3-2 record and 3.86 ERA in nine career starts against the Braves, wound up with his sixth career complete game. He is the first Red Sox to go nine since Pedro Martinez shut out the Devil Rays at Fenway last August and the first Boston hurler to start a season 5-0 since Martinez and John Burkett were 7-0 three seasons ago. It is also the first 5-0 start for Clement, who didn't walk a batter (he did hit Adam LaRoche with a pitch) and had seven strikeouts.

When Clement jogged to the mound to start the ninth, he thought someone had run onto the Fenway turf because of the way the crowd was cheering. It didn't take long for him to realize the cheers were for him.

''I've not been here long, so I'm honored," said Clement, who threw 110 pitches. ''The people here pick you up and give you an extra boost. That's pretty cool to have them behind me to finish up a game. I wanted to go back out, I felt good. I felt I had a pretty good rhythm going. I don't think everything was perfect but everything worked. I made pitches when I had to and I was getting ahead."

After Orr's liner to left-center, Clement finished the job: He retired Marcus Giles on a fly to center, got a great defensive play from first baseman Kevin Youkilis (who dived to his left to glove LaRoche's ground ball for the unassisted putout) and then sent the Braves packing when Andruw Jones hit a routine grounder to second as the Red Sox prevailed, 5-2.

''[Jason Varitek] called a great game," said Clement. ''Guys made great plays behind me. Who knows what happens if Youk doesn't make that play with one out? I can't remember that happening [seven perfect innings] to me before, but you want to get better with every start."

Clement praised the Red Sox hitters for getting John Smoltz, a pitcher Clement said he emulates, to throw 112 pitches before being lifted with two outs in the fifth. He agreed with Francona that it was the key to the team's come-from-behind win.

''You know [Smoltz] is going to be tough," said Clement. ''Give our guys credit. He had a lot of strikes, he wasn't walking people, and he got his pitch count up quick and that's what won the game. He didn't break. He kept bending, and it was an honor for me to share the mound with somebody like that."

Clement said the Braves are a team that won't let you get away with too many mistakes.

''There were a few guys in there today I hadn't pitched against, but I'm trying not to make too much of this American League-National League thing," said Clement, who added a cutter to his repertoire last season and feels he's throwing it for strikes more consistently this season. ''Last year with the Cubs I felt I had a stretch where I pitched better than at any time in my career but the won-loss record didn't show it. But that's part of the game. I'm more of a complete pitcher now. Being 5-0, well, that's new territory for me."