Clemens Agrees to $30.9M Extension

A N A H E I M, Calif., Aug. 12, 2000 -- 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.

The right-hander has the option of opting out of the third year,in which case he would become eligible for free agency. But even ifhe chooses to opt out, he would be paid the $10.3 million, in whichcase he will have averaged $15.45 million for the first two years.

In addition, the Yankees have a $7.2 million option for 2004with no buyout. There are no bonuses, and Clemens does not have anyprovisions that allow him to block a trade.

The average salary of $10.3 million becomes the sixth-highestamong pitchers, trailing Kevin Brown of Los Angeles ($15 million),Randy Johnson of Arizona ($13.1 million), Pedro Martinez of Boston($12.5 million), Yankees teammate David Cone ($12 million) and GregMaddux of Atlanta ($11.5 million).

Massive Payroll

The two-time World Series champion Yankees have a record payrollof $112.5 million this season. They currently lead the AL East.

Clemens learned about his contract extension in a phone callfrom his mother. He told her to rest up for October and anothertrip to the Bronx.

In his first season with the Yankees, Clemens was the winningpitcher as New York finished off its second straight World Seriessweep.

“Obviously, I want to win and I want to pitch well,” he said.“I don’t want to say that there aren’t any more challenges. I’mnot complacent, and I’ll never be complacent in anything I do. If Ido get complacent, then I’ll know it’s time to go ahead and shut itdown.”

The seven-time All-Star is 256-140 lifetime with a 3.06 ERA. Hebegan his career with Boston in 1984.

Clemens is eighth in the career strikeout list with 3,444, just65 behind Walter Johnson, and has won six ERA titles—second onlyto Lefty Grove’s nine. He also won an AL MVP award in 1986 and hasstruck out 20 batters—tied for the major league record—on twooccasions.

“He takes such good care of himself. If you follow him aroundduring the course of the day, you’ll get tired just watching him,”Torre said. “So if he doesn’t break down, he’s so competitive thatI think you’re going to get your money’s worth.”

The Yankees have already begun talking to recently acquiredpitcher Denny Neagle about a contract extension. He’s eligible forfree agency after this season.

New York is also said to have an understand—much like it didwith Clemens—with second baseman Chuck Knoblauch. His contractruns through 2001, and the extension is thought to be worth $18million for two years.