TAMPA, Fla. -- Six-time Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens was officially picked Saturday to start the New York Yankees' opener at Toronto on March 31.

	Clemens

Clemens, who has said this likely will be his final season, is seven wins from becoming the 21st pitcher to reach 300 wins. It will be his third straight Opening Day start and his fourth in five seasons with the Yankees. Clemens will be starting his 13th opener overall.

"Roger, I'm sure, is thrilled by it,'' Yankees manager Joe Torre said Saturday. "Especially being his last year, I think it's a heck of a way to tip your hat to what he's meant.''

Andy Pettitte and Mike Mussina will follow against the Blue Jays. Torre doesn't plan to skip a starter the first time through the rotation, which lines up Pettitte to start the home opener April 7 against Minnesota.

"They're all capable of pitching one, two, three,'' Torre said. "We have to line them up some way.''

David Wells is the Yankees' fourth starter and while No. 5 hasn't been announced, Jeff Weaver appears to be ahead of Jose Contreras.

Contreras will pitch in a minor league game Monday. Weaver will start the for the Yankees that night against Detroit.

Wells will start Tuesday night's game with Philadelphia and is to be followed by Sterling Hitchcock, the seventh starter on the roster. If the Yankees don't trade him by opening day, Hitchcock would pitch out of the bullpen.

"I talked to Hitchie today and told him he's not going to be considered one of the starters,'' Torre said. "His innings will be out of the bullpen.''

Hitchcock is 0-2 with a 6.75 ERA in four games, including three starts. He also allowed six runs in 5 2-3 innings of a minor league start Thursday.