Roger Clemens was out of the game - and then he was out of the ballpark.
The Rocket didn't stick around to talk to the media after yesterday's 3-2 defeat to the Brewers, a game in which he exited with a 2-1 lead in the eighth inning.
Clemens (3-6) didn't lose . But he didn't win after departing with a lead for the sixth time this year. On five of those occasions, he wound up with a no-decision when the Red Sox bullpen couldn't hold the fort. Only once did Clemens wind up with a win after giving way to a reliever.
Red Sox manager Kevin Kennedy understands Clemens' frustration.
``I don't blame him one bit,'' said Kennedy. ``He should be frustrated. At some point, we've got to get a big hit for him.''
That didn't happen yesterday as the Red Sox left 13 runners stranded. Twice they left the bases loaded when they could have blown the game open, including a bases-loaded, one-out situation in the seventh when Tim Naehring popped out and Bill Haselman struck out.
Wasted was a nine-strikeout performance by Clemens, who allowed just five hits.
``It's part of the game. You have to accept that,'' said Haselman. ``It happens to other pitchers, too. But really, I've never seen it happen like this. This is such hard luck for him.
``He goes out there time after time and battles for us and we just don't get anything going for him. I don't know the reason why.''
Clemens threw 143 pitches, 83 for strikes, and he struck out the side in the second and seventh innings. He leads the American League with 106 strikeouts. But he may also lead the league in the ``nothing to show for it'' category.
Pitching coach Sammy Ellis felt bad for Clemens.
``You saw him today. He pitched his heart out,'' said Ellis. ``For him to be 3-6 now is disappointing. He could very easily have five or six more wins. Very easily. He's battled as hard as you can ask a man to battle.''
Kennedy agreed.
``We needed a lot of innings out of Roger today and we got them. For him to be 3-6 now is unbelievable. We should be pumped up when he's pitching, but we made errors that probably cost him another 15 to 20 pitches.''
Three weeks ago, Kennedy pulled a tired Clemens out in the eighth inning at Fenway against Oakland and took a beating from the fans. Clemens left that one with a 4-2 lead and saw it evaporate into a 6-5 loss.
Yesterday, Clemens felt a lot fresher, but when Kevin Seitzer hit an opposite-field double to drive in Milwaukee's first run, Kennedy felt it was time.
At that point, Kennedy said, Clemens' pitch count was up and he was hoping that at least Clemens wouldn't wind up with a loss.
He didn't - but it wasn't of much consolation to the manager.
``He went as far as he could go. The momentum had turned and our bullpen didn't do that bad a job. But we put ourselves in a position to win and we didn't do it.''
Haselman said Clemens, after some early-inning battling, pretty much cruised through the seventh.
``That's been his story this year,'' said Haselman. ``He goes out and throws seven or eight innings and gives up two runs or so and we just don't get the run support for him.
``I was up with the bases loaded and struck out. I've got to come through in that situation. If I do something there, you don't have to worry about the rest of it. He's been pitching so much better than his record shows ... so much better. It seems like the same old story every time.''
Except that Clemens wasn't there for the ending.
This story ran on page 60 of the Boston Globe on 06/09/96.