Groin Injury Sends Clemens To DL, Rehab
July 14, 2002
By DOM AMORE, Courant Staff Writer

CLEVELAND -- Roger Clemens hasn't won in five starts. He wasn't about
to end his winless streak arguing with Joe Torre.

"The skipper was browbeating me pretty good last night," Clemens said
after the Yankees placed him on the 15-day disabled list
Saturday. "The only problem I had with it is, this [groin injury]
isn't anywhere near as bad as what I've had before."

Clemens convinced Torre to wait a day, but when he told the manager
his right leg still felt heavy, he found himself packing for Tampa,
where he will rehab.

"I understand their reasoning that you can't have me going out there
and having a problem at the 80-pitch mark," Clemens said.

Clemens threw 79 pitches and five shutout innings Friday, leaving
with a 1-0 lead after he had trouble warming up in the sixth. The
Yankees are calling it tightness in the right groin.

"It's not torn," Clemens said. "I don't even think it's frayed, but
my body's trying to tell me something."

Clemens, 39, is 8-3 with a 4.02 earned run average.

The trainers want Clemens to rest for several days, then begin light
rehab. He said he hopes to be back in 15 days and miss only two
starts, but Torre said that would be the best-case scenario.

Clemens probably won't get enough starts to reach 300 wins this
season - he has been stuck on 288 - but the Yankees' priority is
getting him ready for September and the postseason.

Mike Thurman was recalled from Triple A Columbus, where he was
International League pitcher of the week. He pitched two innings
Saturday and allowed one hit, walking one and striking out four.

Mondesi To Sit A Spell



Raul Mondesi, who ran into the wall chasing Omar Vizquel's game-
winning triple in the 10th Friday night, has a bruised chest, two
bruised knees and whiplash.

"My whole body is sore," Mondesi told team spokesman Jason Zillo, who
relayed his comments to the media. "But ... I feel a little better
than last night."

Mondesi was on the ground several minutes after hitting the wall.The
X-rays showed no breaks. "I knew if I didn't catch the ball, we would
lose the game," Mondesi said.

There are no plans to put Mondesi on the DL . Torre will use the next
two days to get John Vander Wal and Shane Spencer playing time in
right field.

"It'll be day to day, until [Mondesi] gets the taste of that wall out
of his mouth," Torre said. ... Jason Giambi, a friend of racer Paul
Tracy, took teammates to watch the Indy-car racing in Cleveland on
Saturday morning. ... Rondell White, whose fourth-inning single
Saturday was his 1000th career hit, will rest and Giambi will DH when
the Yankees play on artificial surface in Toronto on Monday and
Tuesday.