Clemens Steals Bonds’ Spotlight

Roger Clemens did not back out of a short-lived retirement and incur the wrath of millions of New Yorkers to surrender Barry Bonds’ 660th home run.

No, sir. The Rocket would not be upstaged on this night.

Not in his first start for his new team, his hometown Houston Astros.

Not before a sellout crowd in his first appearance for a National League team after 20 American League seasons..

Clemens struck out nine -- including catching Bonds looking twice -- in seven shutout innings of a 10-1 victory over the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday at Minute Maid Park.

He gave up only one hit, a single by Ray Durham in the third inning, and walked three, including an intentional pass to Bonds in the first.

“Why was it that he was retiring?” Giant Manager Felipe Alou said, scratching his head.

At 41, Clemens is more a marvel of longevity than even the 39-year-old Bonds, who for the second day in a row failed to reach Willie Mays’ career home run total.

Clemens’ fastball was consistently clocked in the mid-90s. His command was impeccable. And he poked a hit-and-run single in his first at-bat.

“This has been a long time coming since I made the decision to play,” he said. “I’m glad my energy level was up. They made great plays behind me and we hit the ball. I did what I know how to do.”

With many baseball fans watching Bonds’ quest to catch Mays, it was Clemens who achieved a milestone, tying Tom Seaver in victories with 311, 15th all-time. Another mark is within reach. Clemens has 4,108 strikeouts, 28 fewer than Steve Carlton, who is No. 2 behind Nolan Ryan.

Clemens signed a one-year, $5-million deal Jan. 12, ending a retirement that lasted less than three months. The signing by the Astros of his good friend and former Yankee teammate Andy Pettitte prompted Clemens to reconsider, and he was unable to resist the chance to perform in his hometown.

As fate would have it, his first challenge was to put the Astros in the win column after two losses and to keep Bonds from hitting home run No. 660 for at least another day.

Clemens walked Bonds intentionally in the first inning with two out and Ray Durham on second base. Bonds led off the fourth to a lusty chorus of boos, and Clemens went after him with fastballs, striking him out on a pitch Bonds thought was low. Bonds led off the seventh and became Clemens’ ninth strikeout victim, again taking a pitch at the knees. With the outcome all but determined, Dustan Mohr replaced Bonds in left field to start the bottom of the eighth.

“Roger knows what happened out there,” Bonds said of the borderline strikes. “That’s all that matters. He and I have been in this game a long time. That’s part of baseball though.”

Said Clemens: “He said the other day I’d better hit my spots, so I put something on the ball and hit my spots. Barry commands that kind of respect. It was fun for the fans when I was able to get him out.”

Earlier in the day, Bonds, who has been mired in the recent steroid controversy, received support from home run king Henry Aaron.

Aaron said he would “let the public judge for themselves,” whether Bonds’ records should be tainted.

“I admire Barry Bonds. Steroids or no steroids, he would have had a Hall of Fame career,” Aaron said.

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Associated Press contributed to this report.