Clemens, back for Old-Timers' game, addresses Piazza bat toss - ESPN

NEW YORK — Roger Clemens came back to Yankee Stadium on Saturday, and so did the questions about his bat-throwing incident with Mike Piazza in the World Series 25 years earlier.

Piazza was batting against Clemens in the first inning of Game 2 of the 2000 World Series when his bat shattered along the first-base line. Clemens picked up part of it and fired it toward the Hall of Fame catcher.

Clemens made his debut in the Yankees' Old-Timers' Day game on Saturday and faced four batters in the first exhibition game of the event since 2019. His manager on the 2000 championship team defended the pitcher's actions in that at-bat against Piazza.

«There's still a question with the broken bat, with Piazza and the whole thing in Game 2,» Joe Torre said at the podium right as Clemens walked in. «I think if Mike knew that the ball was foul, he wouldn't have been starting to run to first base. That ball went over the first base dugout, was foul right away. He didn't know where it was, so he started running.»

Clemens made his first appearance as the Yankees honored the 2000 team, the last team to win three straight titles. Clemens heard a nice hand from the crowd as a montage of his highlights played on the center field video board — but omitted his famous toss at Piazza.

«I didn't know he was running and Mike said that same thing, too,» Clemens said. «He didn't know where the baseball was. So my first instinct when I shattered that bat in about four pieces, I thought it was a baseball coming at me.»

The Yankees went a combined 22-3 in the 1998 and 1999 postseasons, but struggled at times in 2000, losing 15 of their final 18 regular-season games, before outlasting the A's by winning a Game 5 on the road in the Division Series. After