ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., April 6 (UPI) -- Roger Clemens worked seven innings Sunday to move within five wins of 300 as the New York Yankees posted a 10-5 win over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
Clemens (2-0) gave up four runs and six hits with three walks and six strikeouts to improve to 295-151, which ranks second all time in winning percentage among righthanders with at least 250 decisions. Hall of Famer Christy Mathewson was 373-188.
The six-time Cy Young Award winner threw 65 of 103 pitches for strikes and improved to 9-3 lifetime against the Devil Rays.
Alfonso Soriano had his sixth straight multi-hit game as the Yankees scored at least eight runs for the fifth time in six games and concluded a season-opening road trip at 5-1.
Soriano led off a game with a home run for the ninth time in his career as he sent a 2-0 pitch by Victor Zambrano over the leftfield fence for his third homer of the season. Zambrano then appeared to hit Nick Johnson with a 3-2 pitch, but after Devil Rays Manager Lou Piniella questioned the call, third base umpire Dana Demuth ruled that the ball hit Johnson's bat.
The appeal worked against Tampa Bay though, as Johnson launched Zambrano's next pitch over the fence in right-center for his first homer of the season and a 2-0 lead.
Zambrano (0-1) went 5 1/3 innings, allowing five runs and six hits with six walks and two strikeouts.
Bernie Williams homered and drove in three runs for New York, which has won 16 of its last 22 meetings with Tampa Bay.
