Clemens Agrees to $30.9M Extension
A N A H E I M, Calif., Aug. 12 -- Roger Clemens and the New York Yankees agreed to a $30.9 million, three-year contract extension Friday, announcing a deal that had been rumored ever since he joined the team.
Clemens, 38, had been eligible for free agency after thisseason. Now, the five-time Cy Young winner can remain in pinstripesthrough 2003.
“It’s great to know I have the opportunity to continue with agreat club,” Clemens said before the Yankees played at Anaheim.“My hopes were to have a chance to finish here, compete foranother championship and shoot for 300 games in this uniform—thewhole nine yards.
“And at this point, it looks like the final stop. I’ll have achance to pitch until I’m 40, which I never thought I’d have theopportunity to do.”
Unbeaten in Nine Starts
Clemens is unbeaten is nine starts since June 9, going 5-0 withfour no-decisions. He was the AL pitcher of the month for July.
Clemens is 9-6 and his 3.73 ERA is fourth-best in the league.His 128 strikeouts tie him for seventh in the AL with David Wells -Clemens was traded from Toronto to the Yankees in a package forWells before the 1999 season.
“Roger right now is pitching like the Roger who won all the CyYoung awards,” manager Joe Torre said. “He’s going after people,he’s challenging people, he’s intimidating people, and he’sthrowing very hard.
“I mean, obviously, he doesn’t throw as hard as he did 10 yearsago, but he is still a very high-quality pitcher. I’m pleased aboutthe contract. It’s going to make him feel good. And if he feelsgood, he’s going to help our club.”
Clemens has a $6.35 million salary this season, the option yearof a contract he signed with Toronto before 1997. That was part ofhis previous deal that is paying him a total of $31.1 million overfour years.
$5M Signing Bonus
Clemens gets a $5 million signing bonus—$2.5 million payablenext year and $2.5 million in 2002—plus yearly salaries of $7.8million in 2001, $7.8 million in 2002 and $10.3 million in 2003.
Popular Reads
ABC News Live