TAMPA, Fla. (AP) -Roger Clemens is set to make his 2007 major league debut Saturday against the Pittsburgh Pirates after throwing 55 pitches during batting practice at the New York Yankees’ minor league complex.
The seven-time Cy Young Award winner made 21 throws in the outfield and eight warmup tosses Wednesday before his 20-minute batting practice session against players from the Yankees’ extended spring training team.
“Everything today went well,” Clemens said. “I have a short downhill training session tomorrow and then I should be locked in and ready to go. The weakness that came from the scar tissue has so far dispersed. Today’s bullpen session was a little more intense than a regular side session. Normally, I would throw about 60 percent, but today I threw closer to 80 percent.”
Clemens also took part in a short fielding session before jogging around the area outside the complex.
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman arrived about 40 minutes after Clemens finished throwing and the pair talked inside the facility.
“The way you can win is to be able to control the game,” manager Joe Torre said in Chicago. “The way to control the game is through pitching. To have Roger be a part of that mix is important. If he gives us five, six innings – whatever it is – we’re going to have to make due with that.”
The 44-year-old right-hander originally planned to start Monday night at the Chicago White Sox. He scratched himself from the outing last Saturday because of what the Yankees said then was a “fatigued” groin, an injury he first felt during a minor league outing May 28. An MRI exam Monday showed Clemens had a scar tissue injury in the right groin.
If Clemens is added to the major league roster on Saturday, he would earn $17,442,637 this season and cost the Yankees $6,977,054 in luxury tax, a total of $24,419,691. Clemens agreed May 6 to a one-year contract worth $28,000,022 – the last two digits matching his uniform number – but only gets paid his major league salary once he is on the big league roster.
Torre said he’s not worried about high expectations of the likely Hall of Famer.
“They’re going to be what they are, because of his status and where he’s going when he does decide to pack it in,” he said. “That’s followed him no matter where he’s gone. We know, basically, what we need from him.”
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