Former Yankee Roger Clemens on Infamous Piazza Bat Toss, 'Thought It Was a Baseball'

In Game 2 of the 2000 World Series, New York Yankees starting pitcher Roger Clemens threw a shard of a broken bat in the direction of New York Mets catcher Mike Piazza, who had just broken his lumber while trying to fight off an inside pitch that dribbled foul. Both benches cleared, leading to more drama in the Subway Series, which the Yankees eventually won in five games.

Twenty-five years later, Clemens returned to Yankee Stadium for Old-Timers' Day, and he fielded questions about that infamous moment, per Larry Fleisher of the Associated Press.

"I didn't know he was running, and Mike said that same thing, too," Clemens said. "He didn't know where the baseball was. So my first instinct when I shattered that bat in about four pieces, I thought it was a baseball coming at me."

Of course, there are some natural follow-up questions here, namely (a) how did Clemens confuse a bat for a baseball when he saw it close-up and then physically touched it and then (b) why would he have thrown anything in the general direction of Piazza, who was a few paces away from home plate? Also, if Clemens really did think he was fielding a baseball, why didn't he turn to first base to make the out?

Clemens' alibi is admittedly hard to accept. The bottom line is that there was a beef between Clemens and Piazza, which Secret Base broke down in great detail.

Of note, earlier in the 2000 season, Clemens beaned Piazza, knocking him out of a July 8 game. Piazza returned to the lineup two days later.

As for the present-day action, following the Old-Timers' Day festivities, the Yankees beat the Houston Astros 5-4 thanks to a Trent Grisham solo homer in the bottom of the eighth.