ROUND ROCK, Texas -- It was a rough start and solid finish for The Rocket.
Next stop: Houston.
Pitching for the Triple-A Round Rock Express in the final tuneup before his return to the Astros, Roger Clemens gave up three runs on three hits in the first inning before settling into a big-league groove Friday night against the New Orleans Zephyrs.
The seven-time Cy Young Award winner also walked three and faced nine batters in the first, throwing 41 pitches before retiring the next eight hitters in a row.
Clemens finished the night with 5 2/3 innings of work with five strikeouts, five hits and three walks. Of his 91 total pitches, 57 went for strikes. He also picked up the win as the Express rallied for a 7-4 victory.
"I made it a little harder work than I would have liked to in the first inning, but I'm going to run into those situations throughout the season as I come back," Clemens said.
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| Roger Clemens picks up a Triple-A win in his final tuneup game. (AP) |
His first start with the Astros is Thursday at home against the Minnesota Twins. It will start his 23rd major league season.
"I'm on target," Clemens said. "My body feels fine. That was the ultimate goal coming out of here, my body feeling healthy."
Clemens was 13-8 with an ERA of 1.87 as the Astros went to the World Series last season.
Friday night, he pitched for a team in which he is a minority shareholder. He flashed a "Hook'em Horns" sign and got a standing ovation from the Express-record 13,475 fans who came to watch the former Texas Longhorns star pitch about 15 miles from the campus where he won an NCAA championship in 1983.
Seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong and actor Matthew McConaughey got a front-row seat next to the Express dugout.
Clemens admitted he was distracted early in an unfamiliar environment.
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