ASTROS 5, CARDS 2: The veteran ace gets Houston back into the series with seven strong innings.
By DAMIAN CRISTODERO
Published October 17, 2004
HOUSTON - The way Astros first baseman Jeff Bagwell described Roger Clemens, you figured the pitcher should be wearing a cape.
Bagwell called Clemens "a superhero" and added, "He's one of the best competitors I've ever seen in my life. He pitches as well as any power pitcher in his generation."
The right-hander's performance Saturday in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series at Minute Maid Park confirmed that critique.
Clemens got the win in Houston's 5-2 victory over the Cardinals to help cut St. Louis' advantage in the best-of-seven series to two games to one.
But more important than Clemens' 116 pitches or seven strikeouts (and that building he leapt in a single bound) were his seven innings. That enabled manager Phil Garner for the first time in the series to go to closer Brad Lidge, whose five strikeouts in two powerful innings were the finishing touches.
"There's added pressure," Clemens said. "I mean, no different than a few years ago when I had to do it in New York. But it's a different situation because this is my hometown. So no matter what I've done in the past, you want to make a good showing."
"He's a horse," Cardinals leftfielder Reggie Sanders said. "You just have to tip your hat."
Do the same for St. Louis starter Jeff Suppan, who took the loss but went six innings and allowed three runs on five hits with three strikeouts.
Still, the series continued its Home Run Derby feel. Five home runs gave the teams 16, the most for the first three games of a League Championship Series and seven off the record set last season by the Cubs and Marlins.
Houston's Carlos Beltran crushed his seventh home run, one off the postseason record set in 2002 by Barry Bonds. And his home runs in four consecutive games tied a record set in 1987 by Jeffrey Leonard and matched in 1996 by Juan Gonzalez.
Let's follow the sailing ball:
Larry Walker's shot high over the 404-foot mark in left-centerfield gave St. Louis a 1-0 first-inning lead. Jeff Kent gave the Astros a 3-1 lead in the first with a two-run blast.
Jim Edmonds popped one in the second to make it 3-2, and Beltran and Lance Berkman parked one each in the eighth off relievers Dan Haren and Ray King, respectively, to ensure Houston's 20th win in its past 21 games at home.
Kent said that streak, as well as the Astros' remarkable run to a wild-card spot, helped the team not panic after it lost the series' first two games.
"It might have proven that you still need to believe and good things can happen," Kent said. "Baseball is a game of anticipation. You play for something that might and might not happen. So you have to have some belief."
But the story was Clemens, 42, whose 10th postseason victory made him the eighth player to reach double digits.
Clemens' only real rough spot, if you ignore the ubiquitous home runs, came in the fourth, when he threw 30 pitches, including a wild one, but struck out two and stranded runners at first and second.
After that Clemens found his split-finger fastball and retired 10 of the last 11 batters he faced with five strikeouts.
Clemens said he started slowly because of the lingering effects of the stomach virus that kept him out of the final game of the regular season, and because of a slight right leg strain that forced him out of his last start in the division series against the Braves.
"I wanted to make sure my legs were under me," Clemens said. "After I knew it was nice and hot, (catcher Brad Ausmus) and I started rushing the ball when we wanted to. As the game went on, I was sharper and my split-finger was more violent."
"What you saw today was exactly what he's done for us so many times," Garner said. "He got bent a little bit, but when he knew he was close to the end he got stronger."
