Yankees beat Detroit, but Roger is deprived of winning his 300th victory.
DETROIT – The Rocket misfired again.
Roger Clemens remained one victory shy of career No. 300 when the Detroit Tigers, of all teams, rallied from six runs down Sunday to spoil history.
The Yankees salvaged something Sunday, however, as Alfonso Soriano and Jorge Posada homered off Steve Sparks in the 17th inning to give New York a 10-9 win.
Clemens’ chase of 300 will continue next weekend in Chicago.
He is scheduled to start Saturday at Wrigley Field against Kerry Wood. The Yankees haven’t played the Cubs there since the 1938 World Series, and Clemens has never pitched in a game inside Wrigley’s ivy-covered walls.
The 40-year-old lasted six innings against Detroit, leaving with a 8-6 lead and needing just nine outs from his bullpen to become the 21st pitcher with 300 wins.
But the Tigers, baseball’s worst team this season, came back from a 7-1 deficit by scoring five runs off Clemens and the Yankees’ shaky infield in the fifth. Detroit then tied it in the seventh while the six-time Cy Young award winner watched helplessly.
Clemens, who lost to Boston on May 26 in his first crack at No. 300, finished with a no-decision before a disappointed Comerica Park record crowd of 44,095 which came to see something special – not Detroit winning its first series at home this season.
Clemens was bidding to become the first pitcher to get win No. 300 since 1990 when Nolan Ryan, one his idols, did it. Clemens can still match Ryan, who needed three starts to reach the milestone.
Derek Jeter and Todd Zeile also homered for the Yankees.
David Wells (7-2) pitched 5 2-3 innings for New York in his first relief appearance in nearly 10 years. He gave up an RBI double to Eric Munson in the 17th.
Juan Acevedo, the Tigers’ closer last season, got one out for his sixth save.
Soriano opened the 17th with a homer off Sparks (0-2) and one out later, Posada connected to end the longest game at Comerica since it opened three years ago.
Before the Tigers’ comeback, Clemens, whose career has been defined by gaudy numbers, appeared to be a lock for initiation in the 300-victory club.
From his first pitch, a 91 mph fastball that Alex Sanchez popped up to short, Clemens looked as if he might dominate the Tigers, who came in batting a major league-low .215.
Clemens allowed just one run and two hits through the first four innings. But nursing a 7-1 lead and three outs from qualifying for a decision, Clemens and the Yankees’ defense unraveled together.
New York made three errors in the fifth while Clemens gave up four straight hits, including a two-run homer to No. 9 hitter Gene Kingsale, who hadn’t connected this season.
Jeter and Soriano had consecutive errors in the inning behind Clemens, who complicated matters with his only walk and a wild pitch.
But with the tying run at third and the go-ahead run at second, Clemens struck out Shane Halter to end the inning.
He pitched a 1-2-3 sixth, but was replaced by Yankees manager Joe Torre after 107 pitches.
Clemens finished with six strikeouts, and now needs only nine to join Ryan (5,714) and Steve Carlton (4,136) as the only pitchers to reach 4,000.
Clemens didn’t want to prolong his pursuit of 300 or disappoint any of the 60 family and friends who came to Detroit and will now have to find tickets in Chicago.
His 16-year-old son, Koby, got dressed alongside his dad and served as one of the Yankees’ bat boys.
Clemens stuck to his proven pregame ritual before facing the Tigers.
After working out, he quickly showered and on his way out of New York’s clubhouse, he stopped to share a word with Hall of Fame slugger Reggie Jackson.
“Glad you’re here,” Clemens told Jackson.
“Glad to be here,” Mr. October said.
Angels 9, Devil Rays 4
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Jeff DaVanon homered twice and drove in four runs as the Anaheim Angels beat the Tampa Bay Devil Rays 9-4 Sunday.
The World Series champions took three of four in the series and are 27-27 overall. Aaron Sele improved to 7-0 lifetime against Tampa Bay.
Toby Hall went 4-for-4 with a two-run homer for the Devil Rays, who have lost nine of 12.
Athletics 6, Royals 4
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Ramon Hernandez and Terrence Long hit RBI singles in the eighth inning and the Oakland Athletics beat the Kansas City Royals 6-4 Sunday.
Eric Byrnes extended his hitting streak to 22 by leading off the game with a home run for Oakland.
Eric Chavez hit a two-run homer for the Athletics, who have won 14 of their last 17 games at Kansas City.
Orioles 5, Rangers 4
BALTIMORE – Jeff Conine singled in the tiebreaking run in the eighth inning after a costly throwing error by Hank Blalock, lifting the Baltimore Orioles past the Texas Rangers 5-4 Sunday.
Down 4-3, Baltimore got runners at first and second with two outs in the eighth against Francisco Cordero (2-5).
B.J. Surhoff then hit a smash down the third-base line that Blalock dived for and gloved, but his throw to first was wild, allowing Deivi Cruz to score the tying run.
Mariners 9, Twins 5
MINNEAPOLIS – Edgar Martinez homered and had four hits, and the Seattle Mariners scored six times in the first inning to finish a four-game sweep of the Minnesota Twins with a 9-5 victory Sunday.
Bret Boone hit his 15th home run for the Mariners, who roughed up Kenny Rogers and have won six straight overall. Freddy Garcia went seven innings for the win.
The first seven Seattle batters reached base – on six singles and a bad-hop triple by Greg Colbrunn – as the Mariners set a team record for consecutive hits to start a game.
Indians 5, White Sox 4
CLEVELAND – Rookie Jody Gerut blooped a bases-loaded, pinch-hit single off the glove of Chicago shortstop Jose Valentin with two outs in the 10th inning, giving the Cleveland Indians a 5-4 win over the White Sox on Sunday.
The Indians won their season-high fourth in a row.
Omar Vizquel opened the 10th with a single against Billy Koch (1-2) and stole second.
Ellis Burks then beat out a roller to third for a single, with Vizquel holding second.
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