FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE WEDNESDAY, MAY 31, 2006

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ASTROS SIGN CLEMENS
Seven-time Cy Young Award winner, 11-time All-Star returns for third season with Astros, 23rd year overall
HOUSTON –</SPAN> The Houston Astros announced today that the club has signed right-handed pitcher Roger Clemens to a minor league contract. The one-year contract is valued at $322,000. The announcement was made by general manager Tim Purpura.

Clemens is tentatively scheduled to make three minor league starts prior to making his Astros debut. It is the club’s intent for him to make his first start at the Class A Lexington Legends (Lexington, KY) on June 6, tentatively followed by a start at the Double A Corpus Christi Hooks (Corpus Christi, TX) on June 11, and a third minor league start at the Triple A Round Rock Express (Round Rock, TX) on June 16. Clemens is tentatively scheduled to make his first start for Houston on June 22 at Minute MaidPark vs. the Minnesota Twins. His one-year Major League contract will be valued at $22,000,022.

Clemens, 43, will return for his 23rd Major League season. He is 341-172 with a 3.12 ERA (1632ER/4704.1IP) in 672 career games (671 starts), and his 341 wins rank ninth all-time, two away from eighth-place Tim Keefe (according to the Elias Sports Bureau). The winner of an unprecedented seven Cy Young Awards, Clemens was 13-8 with a career-best 1.87 ERA (44ER/211.1IP) for the National League champion Astros in 2005. His 1.87 ERA led the Majors and he also earned his 11th career All-Star selection last year, pitching one scoreless inning in the Midsummer Classic in Detroit.

In two seasons with Houston, Clemens is 31-12 with a 2.43 ERA (115ER/425.2IP) in 65 starts. He has appeared in eight playoff games during his two years with the Astros (seven starts) and is 4-2, including a win in the 18-inning NLDS Game 4 vs. Atlanta, in which Clemens pitched three scoreless innings in relief, his first relief outing since July 18, 1984 with Boston.

R20;Roger has been a tremendous boost to our rotation and our ballclub as a whole over the last two seasons,” said Purpura. “We are obviously thrilled that he has decided to continue his career with us, and we look forward to watching him perform on the mound again this season in an Astros uniform. Roger Clemens is a true living legend and has had a great impact on our success over the last two seasons.”

Clemens earned his seventh Cy Young during his first season with the Astros, a 2004 campaign in which he finished 18-4 with a 2.98 ERA (71ER/214.1IP) in 33 starts. His 18 wins ranked tied for second in the NL that season. Clemens ranks second all-time with 4,502 strikeouts, trailing only Nolan Ryan on the career list. In addition to being the active leader in strikeouts, he also leads all active pitchers in wins (341), innings (4704.1), complete games (118), shutouts (46), and starts (671).

Clemens also earned the Cy Young in the American League in 1986, 1987 and 1991 with Boston, 1997 and 1998 with Toronto, and 2001 with New York. He became the second Astro to win the Cy Young Award, joining Mike Scott in 1986. According to the BBWAA, Clemens is the first player in history to capture eight BBWAA awards, as he won the American League Most Valuable Player in 1986 to go along with his seven Cy Youngs. He is the oldest pitcher in history to earn the Cy Young and he is one of only four pitchers (Pedro Martinez, Randy Johnson, Gaylord Perry) to win the Cy Young in both leagues. Clemens is the only pitcher to win the Cy Young with as many as four different teams.

Additionally, Clemens joins Christy Mathewson and Lefty Grove as the only three pitchers in Major League history to have twice as many wins as losses at any point after recording their 250th win. Clemens’ .665 career winning percentage trails only Grove all-time among pitchers with 300 wins, and his 20 seasons with a winning record while starting at least 15 games in all are the most in baseball history.