Yankees 5, Mariners 0

Shutout victory features clearing of benches, return of Clemens
By Caleb Breakey / MLB.com

NEW YORK -- This one won't be remembered for Darrell Rasner and how he pitched 5 2/3 innings of three-hit ball. It won't be remembered for how fast Brian Bruney rushed in from the bullpen when both benches cleared. It won't even be remembered for Hideki Matsui's 2,000th career hit.

No, this one wasn't about a 5-0 baseball game that the Yankees won over the Mariners. Everything was about a 44-year-old guy sitting in George Steinbrenner's box suite at Yankee Stadium. This man could be recognized from Boston to Houston, but he wouldn't want to be in any other city than New York.

Most of the Yankees players knew something was up when they heard Elton John's "Rocket Man" playing in the clubhouse before the game. And in the seventh inning, public-address announcer Bob Sheppard asked the fans to turn their attention to the suite behind home plate. All eyes turned and saw the renowned person.

"It's a privilege to be back," Roger Clemens said over a microphone.

Clemens will suit up with the Yankees for the rest of the 2007 season after signing a prorated one-year, $28 million contract on Sunday. He is expected to start his Yankees homecoming with four starts in the Minor Leagues.

"It's exciting when you get a notice like that," Yankees right fielder Bobby Abreu said. "Like I said before, [he's] one of the best pitchers in the game, and you have him on your team. You get excited. It makes you feel happy."

FULL STORY:

http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/news/gameday_recap.jsp?ymd=20070506&content_id=1949006&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=nyy

BOX SCORE:

http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/news/boxscore.jsp?gid=2007_05_06_seamlb_nyamlb_1&c_id=mlb