By Kevin Kelly
The Cincinnati Enquirer

To see him now, 41 years old and undefeated, Jacob Cruz wonders why Roger Clemens even considered retirement.

"I got to face him three years ago when I was with the Cleveland Indians," said Cruz, a utility player with the Reds. "And I think he's gotten better."

Few would argue.

The first-place Astros, who begin a four-game series against the Reds today at Great American Ball Park, had the best record in the National League through Thursday at 24-16.

At 7-0 and with a major league-leading 1.72 ERA in eight starts, Clemens is a major reason why.

The six-time Cy Young Award winner, who ended a brief retirement and signed a one-year contract with the Astros this offseason, is scheduled to start Saturday's game. It will be his first start against the Reds in Cincinnati.

"I wouldn't put any focus on his age," baseball historian Bill James said Thursday. "I don't think it's as relevant as people want to make it.

"He is one of a kind. He always has been."

The Reds are expecting crowds in excess of 30,000 for the first two games of the four-game series.

Andy Pettitte, a former Yankee who signed with the Astros this offseason and then helped lure Clemens out of retirement, will start today's game. The left-hander has won four consecutive starts and is 4-1 with a 3.81 ERA overall this season.

This is the second series between the teams this season. The Astros won three of four against the Reds last month in Houston.

"We don't want to treat any games more importantly than others right now," Reds catcher Jason LaRue said. "We've got to treat them the same and be ready to do the best job we can."

Fans attending Saturday's game will see - and Reds batters will face - a nine-time All-Star who is the subject of this week's Sports Illustrated cover and still can throw at speeds in the mid-90s.

In his only career start against the Reds - on April 30 in Houston - Clemens allowed one earned run, struck out six and walked four in six innings for his fifth win.

Opponents are batting just .170 against Clemens this season.

"It's one of those things when you walk into the box and go, 'Hey, I'm facing Roger Clemens right now,' " said Cruz, who homered and doubled in his first two at-bats against Clemens in 2001. "But it's one of those things you've got to get over really quick or you're going to be sitting on the bench within three pitches.

"It's an honor just to be up there against him, but you also have to realize you're up there to do a job."

Clemens' 317 career wins are tops among active pitchers and one shy of Phil Niekro's total for 14th all-time. His 117 complete games, 46 shutouts and 4,331 innings also are tops among active pitchers.

With 4,161 career strikeouts, Clemens ranks second behind Nolan Ryan on the all-time list.

"This is a guy who came up a great power pitcher and who learned to pitch," said Tim Naehring, the Reds' director of player development who played with Clemens in Boston. "He's a guy who continued to work at it. He's had an unbelievable career."

Well on his way to a seventh career 20-win season, Clemens would become just the third pitcher age 41 or older to do so.

Warren Spahn won 23 games in 1963 at age 42, and Cy Young won 21 in 1908 at 41.

"I think the big thing with him really is his development of the split-fingered fastball," said Reds bench coach Jerry Narron, who managed and coached against Clemens in the American League.

"... At the end of his career it has gotten him to that level where he is still as good as there is, if not the best right now."