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Clemens pitches game to honor mother

Pitcher Roger Clemens dug his spikes into the dirt and stared momentarily at the ground before throwing his first pitch. He knew his mother wanted him on the mound. Bess Clemens died in Georgetown, Texas, because of complications from emphysema. She was 75. ?As soon as I climbed on the mound, I was lost a little bit,? Clemens said. ?I knew I had to gather it up pretty quick and get through that.? The Houston Astros ace made his scheduled start Wednesday night and allowed one run in 6 1-3 innings in a 10-2 win over the Florida Marlins, pitching in honor of his mother after she died early that morning. The seven-time Cy Young Award winner allowed five hits. He threw 55 of 83 pitches for strikes, and his only walks were those in the first inning. Clemens lowered his major league-best ERA to 1.77 while winning for the first time in seven starts. It was his 340th victory, the most among active pitchers, and he had four strikeouts to increase his career total to 4,492.