Jays Overcome Brawl, Top Yanks

Roger Clemens blamed his swollen right hand for a two-seam fastball that drilled New York's Scott Brosius square in the back.

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Physical brushbacks during the game became verbal ones after the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Yankees 5-4 Friday night in a game featuring a fifth-inning skirmish between the clubs.

Clemens, who has 13-game winning streak, pitched five innings before leaving with a bruised right palm and a no-decision, and Toronto hit four homers off Hideki Irabu to win for the 12th time in 14 games.

But a benches-clearing situation incited by Clemens and Irabu taking turns hitting batters was all anyone talked about postgame. And, as expected, each side had a different take on what happened.

"We got a close ballclub and they have a close ballclub," was how Toronto manager Tim Johnson summed it up.

Yankees manager Joe Torre had a different perspective.

"I said yesterday Roger Clemens gets away with things that get other people thrown out of games," he said. "This is a perfect example of that."

Trailing 3-0, the Yankees tied it with a three-run fourth off Clemens. Tino Martinez hit an RBI double and Jorge Posada had a run-scoring groundout before Ricky Ledee's sacrifice fly to deep right made it 3-all.

Clemens, who hit Derek Jeter during spring training and again in a July 17 game, drilled the next batter, Scott Brosius, in the back with his next pitch.

Brosius had words with Clemens on his way to first and several Yankees including Chad Curtis and Darryl Strawberry, climbed to the top step of the dugout and yelled at Clemens as well.

Clemens had been hit attempting to field two balls bare-handed in the previous inning and said, he was trying to pitch Brosius inside and his pitch just got away from him.

"It was my first two-seamer, and I was coming in on him," Clemens said. "It had nothing to do with the inning I was having."

Torre, who came out to argue with plate umpire Mike Reilly and was tossed before the inning ended peacefully, wasn't buying Clemens' excuse.

"It is strange that after we tied the score his control got bad," he said.

Irabu then took things to a dangerous level in the top of the fifth by hitting Stewart in the elbow with his first pitch. Irabu charged the plate and was held back as both benches and bullpens emptied.

After some finger pointing, the swarm of players and coaches drifted toward the visitors' dugout, much like the ugly May 19 brawl between the Yankees and Orioles that resulted in five suspensions.

Strawberry threw a wild punch as things escalated and Stewart was momentarily knocked to the ground as players held each other back. Clemens said he and Strawberry had words during the fracas.

"It's just pushing and shoving and a couple of their guys threw punches and I thought that was kind of weak," said Clemens, whose hand will be X-rayed Saturday. "You have to watch a couple of their guys in that situation. He's one of those guys you have to watch."

New York bench coach Don Zimmer was ejected along with New York reserve infielder Homer Bush, Johnson and Blue Jays pitcher Bill Risley.

Irabu was asked if he was intentionally throwing at Stewart.

"No," Irabu said, laughing and shaking his head.

Tony Fernandez hit a two-run homer and Carlos Delgado, Jose Cruz Jr. and Stewart each hit solo homers for the Blue Jays. Stewart's leadoff shot in the seventh broke a 4-all tie and chased Irabu (11-9).

"It felt good," Stewart said. "That's the best way you can get revenge."

Carlos Almanzar (2-2) relieved Clemens to start the sixth and pitched 1 1/3 innings. Dan Plesac struck out all three batters he faced and Robert Person pitched the ninth for his second save.

Clemens struck out five through the first two innings and didn't give up a hit until Brosius singled through the middle with one out in the third. The next batter, Joe Girardi, hit a hard comebacker that Clemens bare-handed to start a double play.

Clemens took a couple of warmup pitches to make sure his right hand was OK. Two pitches later, Clemens' wrist was checked after he knocked down Chuck Knoblauch's liner.

Yankees fans began to cheer when Clemens was way out of the strike zone with his second set of warmup tosses, but the right-hander quieted them down by striking out Jeter to end the third.

After warming up to start the sixth, Clemens motioned to the Blue Jays' dugou and was replaced by Almanzar. Clemens was charged with three runs and seven hits in five innings with seven strikeouts.

"I'm hoping it's just a nasty bruise," Clemens said, his hand wrapped in ice packs. "My hand was just shaking uncontrollably before I came out."

Irabu gave up five runs and seven hits in six-plus innings with eight strikeouts.

Delgado led off the fourth with his 31st homer to make it 3-0.

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