The Associated Press

Yankees pitcher Roger Clemens strikes out St. Louis batter Edgar Renteria to record his 4,000th career strike out during the second inning at Yankee Stadium Friday. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

Roger Clemens gave the New York Yankees a piece of pitching history that made them proud.

Two days after New York was no-hit at home by Houston, Clemens made his own mark at Yankee Stadium. Two of them, in fact.

Clemens finally earned his 300th victory and got his 4,000th strikeout along the way as the Yankees beat St. Louis 5-2 on Friday night.

"To have these two milestones I was able to achieve tonight, it was really special," the Rocket said. "Everybody can stop chasing me around the country."

Clemens became the 21st pitcher to make it 300, reaching it on his fourth try. And he joined Nolan Ryan (5,714) and Steve Carlton (4,136) as the only pitchers to fan 4,000.

The 40-year-old Clemens lasted 6 2-3 innings and struck out 10 on a damp night, and left with a 3-2 lead. The bullpen protected the edge and when Mariano Rivera recorded the final out, the Yankees and their sellout crowd of 55,214 celebrated.

Clemens jogged onto the field as Elton John's "Rocket Man" played over the public-address system. He raised both arms, tipped his cap to the fans and touched his heart.

"I really wanted it to happen here. That's why I signed back here," Clemens said.

Clemens' four sons - Kody, Koby, Kory and Kacy - took turns scooping up dirt from the mound and putting it in bags as souvenirs.

As fans chanted Clemens' name, two of his former teammates, Joe Girardi and Tino Martinez, sat in the St. Louis dugout watching the fun.

"It's amazing, the hard work, the dedication he put in," Martinez said.

Several of Clemens' family members and friends had followed him around - from New York to Detroit to Chicago - waiting for the big event.

But his mother, Bess, suffering from emphysema and coming off a bout with pneumonia, could only attend his first try. Clemens got choked up as talked about his mom, and later called her.

"She sounded great," he said. "Probably pitching every pitch with me."

Clemens, the only six-time Cy Young Award winner, made it to the two big marks in his 20th season. He tied Early Wynn and Lefty Grove on the all-time win list.

Clemens finished the night with a 300-155 record and 4,006 strikeouts. He was the first pitcher to reach 300 wins since Ryan in 1990.

Phil Niekro was the only other pitcher to win his 300th game while playing for the Yankees. The knuckleballer did it at Toronto in 1985 while wearing a road gray uniform, making Clemens the first to do it in Yankees pinstripes.

Clemens got a standing ovation after being relieved. He twice tipped his cap while fans booed manager Joe Torre for making a change.

"I would have booed, too, if I had been sitting in the stands. They wanted Roger to pitch the complete game," Torre said.

Yankees owner George Steinbrenner visited Clemens in the clubhouse during the eighth inning.

"He was almost choking me up the way he was talking," Clemens said.

Athletics 8, Expos 4

OAKLAND, Calif. - Ramon Hernandez hit a three-run homer and drove in a career high-tying four runs, and Mark Mulder remained unbeaten at home for Oakland.

Orioles 7, Brewers 2

BALTIMORE - Jay Gibbons hit two homers, including his first career grand slam, and Sidney Ponson won his fifth straight start for Baltimore. Gibbons' fifth-inning slam off Jayson Durocher gave the Orioles a 5-0 lead and sent Glendon Rusch (1-10) to his career-high ninth successive defeat.

Red Sox 4, Astros 3

BOSTON - Ryan Rupe, promoted Friday from Triple-A Pawtucket, pitched six strong innings in his Red Sox debut and Johnny Damon hit a tiebreaking homer for Boston. The home run was Damon's sixth of the season.

Royals 6, Giants 1

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Michael Tucker and Desi Relaford hit two-run home runs to lead Kansas City.

Barry Bonds went 2-for-4 for San Francisco, reaching base for the 35th consecutive game - the longest current streak in the majors.

White Sox 5, Padres 3

CHICAGO - Magglio Ordonez, Frank Thomas and Armando Rios each homered for Chicago. But White Sox starter Esteban Loaiza failed in his first bid to become the American League's second 10-game winner this season, leaving with the score tied at 3 after five innings.

Devil Rays 7, Pirates 1

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Victor Zambrano overcame five walks, three hit batters and a team-record four wild pitches and allowed one run over seven innings for Tampa Bay, which snapped a season-high seven-game losing streak.

Dodgers 4, Indians 3, 10 innings

CLEVELAND - Jolbert Cabrera hit an RBI double in the 10th inning to lift Los Angeles to victory in the first matchup between the teams in 83 years.

Twins 3, Diamondbacks 1

MINNEAPOLIS - Torii Hunter's two-run, tiebreaking single in the sixth inning gave Johan Santana and Minnesota the victory.

Rockies 7, Tigers 2

DETROIT - Chris Stynes hit a two-run single and Mark Sweeney followed with a three-run homer in a six-run sixth inning as Colorado gave Detroit its eighth straight loss.

Marlins 8, Rangers 0

ARLINGTON, Texas - Ivan Rodriguez had an RBI single and scored twice in his first game as an opposing player at Texas, and caught Florida's third shutout of the season.

Blue Jays 5, Cubs 1

TORONTO - Kelvim Escobar struck out a season-high 10 and nearly pitched his second straight shutout as Toronto earned its fifth straight win.

Reed Johnson, Chris Woodward and Greg Myers homered for the Blue Jays, who are eight games over .500 for the first time since May 1, 2001.

Mariners 2, Braves 1

Freddy Garcia won his fourth straight start and Seattle beat Atlanta at Safeco Field.

The Mariners matched the Braves for the best record in the majors at 44-21.

Mets 7, Angels 3

Jeromy Burnitz homered and drove in three runs and Timo Perez hit his first home run of the season as New York won at Anaheim.

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