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Roger Clemens says goodbye to Yankee Stadium: 56K | 300K

NEW YORK -- Roger Clemens lowered his head as he walked away from the mound. As the legendary right-hander made probably his final regular-season trip into the Yankee Stadium dugout, the 42,702 fans who had come to watch clapped, held up signs and screamed his name.

After a moment, Clemens looked up into the stands, touched his heart and reached his arms into the air. He had no reason to hang his head. He was departing a winner -- both in his long career and in Saturday's 6-2 win over the Orioles, which was the Yankees' 100th win this season.

He hadn't expected the end to come so soon. Manager Joe Torre and pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre played a trick on the savvy veteran by letting him go out to the mound in the seventh inning, believing he would throw another frame. After having hurled 89 pitches in the game, Clemens tossed a few warmup ones, and while his back was turned, Torre began walking out to the mound. When Clemens glimpsed his manager, his eyes widened.

"The shock of it was a lot of fun for me. It was my way of saying, 'Nice going,' " said Torre.

Clemens said he was only collecting his thoughts as he bowed his head during the walk away, trying to wipe away the mental plans he had of pitching to at least two more batters. The roaring cheers visibly moved him, and he tipped his hat for a curtain call.

"To do it here with all the coverage we have and the enjoyment from the fans when you do something special, it's great," said Clemens. "I'm just real thankful that I've had this opportunity to play over the two decades and get to perform in front of so many people."

But Clemens would not take all the credit for his 17 season wins.

Roger Clemens   /   P
	Height: 6'4" Weight: 238 Bats/Throws: R/R More info: Player page Stats Splits Astros site

"I've played for a great team. I have a great bunch of guys behind me that they work just as hard as I do."

The pitcher's future has not been officially decided, but most believe Clemens will announce his retirement from baseball at the end of this season in order to spend more time with his wife and four sons.

"There's not a day that goes by that he doesn't tell you a story about one of his boys," said Torre. "The reasons he's walking away have nothing to do with baseball."

"We have not discussed this," Torre added. "This is what I see and sense."