SEATTLE -- No hit, no blowup, no drama.
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| Clemens |
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| Piazza |
When Roger Clemens finally pitched to Mike Piazza again, nothing
much happened.
In their first meeting since the night of Clemens' weird World
Series bat toss, Piazza saw seven pitches from the Rocket in the
second inning of the National League's 4-1 loss in Tuesday night's
All-Star Game.
Clemens conspicuously avoided the inside part of the plate he's
made his home, and retired Piazza on a harmless flyout to medium
right field.
This is what everyone was waiting for?
"If he had thrown one inside, it wouldn't have surprised me at
all," Piazza said. "I just went up there and approached it like
any other at-bat. I had a couple of good cuts."
In New York, fans thrive on controversy. Had they met only three
days earlier, when their teams played at Yankee Stadium, the crowd
would have been howling.
But at Safeco, there was silence.
The two went into the All-Star game saying they hoped that after
this, the fallout from their faceoff would be over.
"As far as I'm concerned it is," Clemens said after coming out
of the game, which the AL won 4-1.
Ever since Clemens beaned Piazza on July 8 last year, knocking
the Mets' catcher out of the All-Star game at Turner Field, New
York has acted as if the two were dynamite and a lighted match,
waiting to explode if they came together.
When they met for the first time after that in Game 2 of last
year's World Series, Piazza shattered his bat on a foul ball and,
in a bizarre turn, Clemens threw the jagged barrel in front of
Piazza's path.
With Yankees manager Joe Torre carefully configuring his
rotation to avoid having Clemens pitch against the Mets during
their six regular-season games, Piazza hadn't gotten into the
batter's box against Clemens since the Subway Series.
The five-time Cy Young Award winner said his goal was simple.
"Just throw it down the middle and try to put something on
it," Clemens said.
That's not the attitude Clemens used to compile a 272-143 record
and strike out 3,626 batters, the fifth-most in baseball history.
The 47,364 fans at Safeco know he trades on the inside, remembering
how he sent Alex Rodriguez sprawling in last year's playoffs.
Piazza, the Mets' blond bomber, is 7-for-12 (.583) against
Clemens in regular season games with three homers and a double. He
admits the Yankees' scouting reports say to pitch Piazza inside,
where he can't extend the rippled arms that have put up the
greatest offensive statistics for any catcher.
"I know I'm going to face Mike again somewhere down the road,"
Clemens said, "and I'm going to have to be careful with him. He's
a great hitter."
Clemens opened with a 93 mph pitch that sailed outside. Way outside.
Piazza fouled the next pitch, what he thought was his best chance.
"He's throwing a lot harder this year," Piazza said. "His
mechanics are more sound. He's able to overpower guys."
Piazza took a ball, then a strike, leaving the count at 2-2.
He would have had to crane his neck like a swan to get in the
way of any of them.
After another foul, Piazza worked the count to 3-2, then lofted
the ball to Juan Gonzalez in right field for the final out of the
second inning. Clemens walked to the AL dugout on the first-base
side, Piazza turned around.
They never even crossed paths. They haven't talked since the drama began a year ago.
"I never felt the need," said Piazza, who described his feelings as "oblivious."
When the Mets and Yankees gather Thursday to start the second
half of their seasons, they hope all the Clemens-Piazza hoopla will
have dissipated. The Yankees are concentrating on building a larger
AL East lead, the Mets on turning around their sorry season.
"I think it is behind us," said NL manager Bobby Valentine,
also Piazza's manager with the Mets. "It's just in our market,
it's tough to put things to rest."
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