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Baseball

NL: Clemens keeps defying age

By Wire services
Published April 25, 2004

DENVER - In a matchup of old guys, Roger Clemens tied another of baseball's Hall of Famers.

Clemens got his 314th win to tie Gaylord Perry for 15th all-time, leading the Astros over the Rockies 8-5 Saturday.

"It is pretty gratifying when you guys write my name alongside some of the greats that have come through here and played in the past," said Clemens, 41. "It makes me feel proud, and a lot of those guys I watched and learned about my first couple of years in the league."

Clemens was opposed by Jeff Fassero, also 41. It was the first time two starters 41 or older faced each other since California's Don Sutton (42) pitched against the Yankees' Tommy John (44) on Aug.24, 1987, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

"Guys have played at this age before and had success at it," Clemens said. "My body takes a little longer to recover ... than I would like."

Clemens improved to 4-0 in consecutive seasons, striking out seven in 52/3 innings to raise his career total to 4,125, third behind Nolan Ryan (5,714) and Steve Carlton (4,136). The six-time Cy Young Award winner allowed five runs and nine hits and had a two-run single.

Playing in the NL for the first time, Clemens is hitting .333 (3-for-9) with three RBIs.

Dan Miceli followed Clemens with 21/3 shutout innings, and Octavio Dotel got three straight outs for his second save.

Making his first start since Aug.19, Fassero gave up seven runs and seven hits in three innings.

PHILLIES 7, EXPOS 0: Randy Wolf homered, had two RBIs and pitched a four-hitter for his seventh career shutout to lead visiting Philadelphia. Wolf, who pitched his 11th career complete game, hit his second major-league home run in the seventh for a 6-0 lead, and added a run-scoring double in the ninth. Tomo Ohka allowed five runs - four earned - and 13 hits in six innings. Montreal, off to a franchise-worst start at 4-14, was shut out for the fifth time and has scored two or fewer runs in 13 games. The Expos have 32 runs, the fourth-lowest total through 18 games in major-league history, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

REDS 9, PIRATES 7: D'Angelo Jimenez homered and drove in three as visiting Cincinnati rallied from four runs down. Jimenez was in a 1-for-29 slump before getting three hits and reaching base five times as the Reds beat Pittsburgh for the fourth time in five games. Todd Van Poppel was the winner in relief. Danny Graves gave up Rob Mackowiak's homer but got his ninth save in 11 chances. Pirates starter Kris Benson couldn't hold the 4-0 lead, allowing seven runs and 12 hits in five innings.

CUBS 3, METS 0: Kerry Wood struck out nine and allowed four singles in seven innings, and Sammy Sosa backed him with a home run for host Chicago's season-high fifth straight win. The Cubs allowed four runs during the stretch, outscoring opponents 35-4. New York lost for the seventh time in nine games and has scored 12 runs in its past eight. Tyler Yates gave up three runs and seven hits in five innings. LaTroy Hawkins got four outs for his first save of the season.

BREWERS 3, CARDINALS 1: Chris Saenz allowed two hits over six innings to win his major-league debut for host Milwaukee. Saenz, a 22-year-old right-hander, struck out seven and walked three in the five-hitter. Dan Kolb, the Brewers' fifth pitcher, had a perfect ninth for his fifth save in five chances. Woody Williams allowed two runs and three hits in six innings, striking out five.

MARLINS 7, BRAVES 4: Jeff Conine hit a two-run homer and Luis Castillo matched a career high with four hits to help host Florida beat Atlanta for the first time in five tries this season. Brad Penny allowed two runs in six innings and tied Ryan Dempster's franchise record of 42 wins. Armando Benitez pitched the ninth for his ninth save in nine chances this season. Conine's homer came off Mike Hampton, who found himself behind 4-0 after facing six batters. Andruw Jones hit his fourth homer for the Braves.

[Last modified April 25, 2004, 01:10:38]


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