The Associated Press

CHICAGO - Strike three for Roger Clemens.

Clemens failed in his third attempt to earn his 300th career victory, watching the New York Yankees' bullpen give up the lead Saturday at Wrigley Field.

Clemens allowed just two hits in his first six innings against the Cubs. But after striking out Corey Patterson to start the seventh with a 1-0 lead, things fell apart.

Sammy Sosa - who hit his first career home run off Clemens - singled to left. Clemens then walked Moises Alou on five pitches.

Yankees manager Joe Torre called on his bullpen. As Cubs fans jeered and Clemens muttered, Torre patted the pitcher on the head and sent him to the dugout.

"Roger never wants to come out of a game, but when you see him every time he pitches, you can pretty much make an evaluation," Torre said.

Clemens had thrown just 84 pitches, 55 for strikes, in his bid to become the 21st pitcher to win 300.

Clemens had barely gotten a seat when Juan Acevedo gave up a long homer to Eric Karros on the first pitch, giving Chicago a 3-1 lead.

"I apologized to Roger. Nobody wants to go in and screw up," Acevedo said after the game.

Clemens got his 299th win May 21 against the Boston Red Sox, his old team. But he failed in his next two starts, including last Sunday, when the Yankees blew a 7-1 lead in Detroit.

Clemens' next start is likely to come Friday night at Yankee Stadium against St. Louis.

Shortly after Clemens left the game, the Yankees announced he had an upper respiratory infection and wouldn't be speaking with the media after the game.

"I really don't think it affected my pitching," Clemens said on a quote sheet that was distributed to the nearly 500 media members.