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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
NEW YORK (AP) – The World Series flag was raised, there was a
sellout crowd and Roger Clemens wanted to bring back a memento for
Mom.
|  | | Roger Clemens becomes the all-time American League strikeout leader with 3,509 Ks. |
The Rocket wasn't going to pass up this chance to set a record.
Clemens became the American League strikeout king Monday,
getting five to pass Walter Johnson as the Yankees won their season
opener, 7-3 over the Kansas City Royals.
"I wanted to do it here in this setting and on this stage,"
said Clemens, who was planning to fly to Houston to show the
record-setting ball to his mother, who recently got out of
intensive care for treatment of emphysema.
Clemens, who has a picture of Johnson hanging in his locker,
nearly didn't get a chance for the record in the opener.
He had only three strikeouts in the first seven innings and was
hit in the right forearm by a comebacker against the first batter
of the eighth.
The ball even left an imprint on Clemens' arm, but it wasn't
enough to slow him. He struck out Carlos Beltran to tie the record
and then manager Joe Torre sent Clemens out to start the ninth.
"I felt extremely fresh and strong. Once I tied it, I
desperately wanted to try to have it happen here," Clemens said.
After a leadoff double by Jermaine Dye, Clemens got Joe Randa on
a forkball in the dirt for his 3,509th career strikeout.
"That's a lot of guys he's sent back to the house," teammate
David Justice said.
The Rocket got a standing ovation after the record-setting
strikeout and congratulations from his teammates on the mound.
Clemens waved to the crowd and pumped his fist as he left the field
with ball.
"He was pumped up," catcher Jorge Posada said. "He wanted to
throw harder than he usually can. He got out of the rhythm a little
but then he found it."
Clemens, who has a record five Cy Young Awards in a career that
will end in Cooperstown, passed a record that stood as the major
league mark from 1927-83, when Nolan Ryan broke it.
Clemens, who also passed Hall of Famer Ted Lyons for 34th place
on the career wins list, is awed by the company he's in.
He even visited a bookstore this spring to learn more about
Johnson, nicknamed the Big Train.
"They did it themselves. They finished what they started,"
Clemens said. "He was one of those guys."
The Yankees, a major league-worst 9-20 in spring training,
started this season the way they ended 2000.
Posada went 3-for-4 with a homer and four RBI, and Bernie
Williams and Tino Martinez also homered in the Yankees first opener
at home since 1995.
"It was a great start," owner George Steinbrenner said.
"Clemens, the home runs we didn't get in spring training ..."
The three home runs were the most for an Opening Day at Yankee
Stadium since Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris and Bill Skowron went deep
against Baltimore on April 10, 1962.
Trailing 2-1 on Dye's solo homer, New York broke through with
five runs in the sixth inning. Loser Jeff Suppan gave up a single
to Paul O'Neill and fell behind 3-0 to Williams, who homered to
center field.
"My mistakes were after that, trying to throw chase pitches,"
Suppan said. "It was just frustrating walking two guys like that.
It changed the whole inning."
After walks to Justice and Martinez, Tony Cogan came on in
relief in his major league debut. It turned out to be a memorable
one for all the wrong reasons when Posada homered over the new
plexiglass fence in left center to make it 6-2.
"Yankee Stadium, Opening Day. There were a lot of things going
on in his head," Suppan said.
Chuck Knoblauch, shifted from second base to left field when he
was unable to throw accurately to first, made his major league
debut in left.
Knoblauch, who made 41 errors the past two seasons at second,
got a standing ovation after catching a routine fly from Beltran to
end the third.
But he also missed the cutoff man on a throw home on Febles' RBI
single in the fifth. Febles advanced to second on the throw, but
Williams' diving catch in center prevented another run from
scoring. Knoblauch left for defensive replacement Clay Bellinger in
the ninth inning.
"I'm obviously not a left fielder yet," Knoblauch said. "I'm
working on it. It was a good start."
Alfonso Soriano, who moved from shortstop to left field to
second base, turned a double play on a grounder hit to him, ending
the seventh.
Suppan, who led the AL with 36 homers allowed last season, also
gave up a solo shot to Martinez in the fourth inning. Suppan
allowed five runs and eight hits in five-plus innings.
Game notes
Clemens allowed three runs and seven hits in 8 1-3 innings.
... The Yankees' record for Opening Day homers is five, in 1932.
... Dwight Gooden, who retired Friday, raised the World Series
banner along with Hall of Famers Phil Rizzuto, Yogi Berra and Dave
Winfield. ... Pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre, who missed the end of
last season recovering from multiple myeloma, threw out the first
pitch. ... The Royals are 3-13 in their past 16 openers, starting
with a 4-2 loss at Yankee Stadium in 1986. ... The Yankees lost the
final seven games of the regular season last year.
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Clemens becomes AL strikeout king
RECAPS
Chi. White Sox 7
Cleveland 4
NY Yankees 7
Kansas City 3
Baltimore 2
Boston 1
Seattle 5
Oakland 4
Atlanta 10
Cincinnati 4
Montreal 5
Chicago Cubs 4
Colorado 8
St. Louis 0
Philadelphia 6
Florida 5
San Francisco 3
San Diego 2
Los Angeles 1
Milwaukee 0
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Roger Clemens desperately wanted to set the AL strikeout record in New York.
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RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Tino Martinez and the Yankees were looking to score some runs for Roger Clemens.
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RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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