NEW YORK -- Bob Watson, Major League Baseball's disciplinarian, told the New York Mets on Tuesday that left-hander Shawn Estes would be fined $750 for throwing a pitch behind Yankees ace Roger Clemens.

	Estes

"There were some rules that were broken,'' Watson said before the Mets' game Tuesday night against the Minnesota Twins at Shea Stadium.

Watson said Estes' pitch Saturday violated rule 8.02 (d), which states that the pitcher shall not intentionally throw at the batter. He said he has made a decision about the fine, but will not announce the amount.

"We need to inform some people of what we're going to do. It's going to take awhile,'' Watson said. "I've talked to all the parties involved. For us, this is routine and we would appreciate it being kept as low-profile as possible.''

Watson's office does not release information about fines, only suspensions.

"It won't be made public by us,'' he said.

Several media outlets, including The New York Times, reported the fine Wednesday.

The Mets waited nearly two years for an opportunity to settle the score with Clemens, who beaned Mike Piazza in July 2000 and chucked a broken bat in his direction during the World Series three months later.

After weeks of buildup surrounding Clemens' start at Shea on Saturday, Estes missed his chance, throwing his first pitch behind the Rocket. Plate umpire Wally Bell immediately issued a warning to both teams, and there were no other purpose pitches during the game.

"I think it was handled very well,'' Watson said. "It was a tough situation with all the media and everything. Both clubs, and the umpires, handled it well.''

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.

"I missed my spot. I didn't execute my pitch,'' Estes deadpanned after Saturday's game. "You can draw your own conclusions.''

Estes and Piazza later homered off the Rocket to give the Mets an 8-0 victory.