Clemens Is Adding to the Legends

On the eve of another comeback, after reconsidering a third retirement, Roger Clemens and his family watched Class-A baseball from a balcony suite at Applebee’s Park here Monday night.

Son Koby played third base, his first game after dislocating his pinkie a month ago. And tonight, Clemens takes the ball for the Lexington Legends against the Lake County Captains, the first of three minor-league starts that he expects will have him pitching for the Houston Astros against the Minnesota Twins on June 22.

Clemens has worked out here daily since Thursday, and Sunday brought the major-league experience to the Legends clubhouse.

As the team returned from a series in Hagerstown, Md., Clemens led a shopping spree through town, spending about $7,000 to furnish the locker room with leather couches, recliners and loveseats, a 42-inch plasma television, microwave oven, DVD player, other electronic equipment and about 20 movies, all of which had been delivered and installed when the Legends got off their bus early Monday morning. Clemens also paid a cleaning crew to scour the clubhouse.

New carpet and cabinets and an upgrade to the trainers’ room is coming, funded by a clinic Clemens will hold at the ballpark later in the week. He’s also buying the postgame spread every night while he’s here.

Clemens will be on a 60-pitch limit, which will increase by about 15 pitches per start.

“I know what lies ahead of me,” he said. “That’s the bottom line. Koby will be happy. He’ll have a lot of fun tomorrow night.... But, I think he’s going to be happiest when I get out of town.”

Koby, standing near one of the new couches, seemed pleased for the opportunity.

“Even when I was in the minor leagues [last season], when I first signed, it didn’t hit me I’d be able to play with him,” he said. “It’s going to be a lot of fun.”