NEW YORK -- Shawn Estes and Mike Piazza hit Roger Clemens all right -- with longballs instead of beanballs.

	Roger Clemens watches a pitch from Shawn Estes go behind him on Saturday.

In the weeks leading up to Clemens' first appearance at Shea Stadium since drilling Piazza in the helmet, the big question was whether the Mets would retaliate when the pitcher finally came to bat Saturday.

Instead, the Mets did their most damage when Clemens was on the mound.

Estes, who was still in San Francisco when Clemens drilled Piazza, hit a two-run homer in the fifth inning and Piazza connected for a solo shot in the sixth.

Estes was evasive before his start about how he would approach Clemens.

With the fans standing in anticipation of the showdown, Estes made his intent clear on the first pitch: an 87 mph fastball that was about a foot behind Clemens.

Piazza could barely get a glove on the pitch that wasn't close to its intended target -- whether that was Clemens or the strike zone.

Clemens stepped out of the batter's box, smirked and touched the bill of his helmet as he looked out toward Estes.

Home plate umpire Wally Bell immediately issued a warning to both teams. Mets manager Bobby Valentine looked frustrated in the dugout over the missed opportunity.

Clemens eventually struck out.

Estes found a better way to hurt Clemens, hitting a two-run homer in the fifth inning, setting off a loud roar from the sellout crowd and derisive chants of ``Ro-ger! Ro-ger!''

It was Estes' third career homer and the first ever by a pitcher off Clemens.

Clemens got a mild bit of revenge in his next at-bat, doubling to lead off the sixth inning. It was Clemens' first hit since also doubling at Shea Stadium on Sept. 2, 1997.

Piazza capped off a near-perfect day for the Mets with a leadoff homer in the bottom of the sixth against Clemens, his fourth in 15 regular season at-bats against the Rocket.

Clemens didn't make it out of the sixth, leaving with a bruised right foot. Clemens sustained the injury rounding first on his double and was scheduled to undergo X-rays after the game.

Before the game, the Mets made sure not to make any comments that could lead to a suspension, but it was clear what they planned to do.

General Manager Steve Phillips said the Clemens issue was still "unresolved.''

Valentine said his pitchers would throw inside to Clemens, who came into the game 2-for-16 in his career. When asked for the scouting report on Clemens the hitter, Valentine said:

"He likes the ball out over the plate. He could be dangerous. He swings hard. He dives over the plate. He's strong. You definitely don't want to make any mistakes out over the plate.''

This was the day Mets fans had been waiting for since July 8, 2000, when Clemens beaned Piazza, knocking the Mets' star out with a concussion.

In Game 2 of the World Series that year, Piazza broke his bat on a foul ball and a revved-up Clemens threw the jagged barrel in Piazza's path, inexplicably claiming he thought it was the baseball at first.

There was a brief verbal confrontation, and the pitcher was fined $50,000.

Yankees manager Joe Torre juggled his rotation last year to keep Clemens from pitching at Shea, but there were no changes this year.

The fans booed when Clemens' name was announced in pregame introductions and stood and jeered even louder when he took the mound in the bottom of the first inning.

There were derogatory signs too, including one that said watching Clemens squirm would be "priceless.''

But Clemens, who tends to be over-amped for even routine starts, was in complete control at the start of the game, throwing 14 of 16 pitches for strikes in the first inning.

He did appear somewhat flustered after the at-bat. He allowed a leadoff double to Rey Ordonez in the third inning. When Estes followed with a bunt that was fielded by catcher Jorge Posada, Clemens didn't cover home plate, allowing Ordonez to score on the sacrifice.

As much as the Mets might have wanted to hit Clemens, beating him might be even more revenge. Clemens is 12 wins shy of 300 for his career and the Mets are in need of a victory, coming into the game in fourth place in the NL East.

An overlooked part of this day was Clemens pitching to Piazza, who came into the game 7-for-12 with three homers in the regular season off Clemens.

The fans stood as Piazza walked to the plate in the second inning and didn't sit down until after his at-bat.

In their first meaningful confrontation since the 2000 World Series, Clemens started Piazza with a 93 mph outside fastball for a strike. The next pitch, also a 93 mph fastball, came back over the middle and Piazza flied out to right field. Piazza grounded out in his second at-bat.