BOSTON (AP) – The Rocket heard the Fenway Park fans chant “Roger, Roger,” for the last time in his career. And he delivered a message they couldn’t have liked.

Roger Clemens overcame a shaky first inning and allowed only two hits in the next five as the New York Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox 4-3 on Saturday and took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven AL championship series.

It was the second straight clutch performance by the 41-year-old right-hander, who was unflappable despite a bench-clearing melee. In the third game of the AL division series against Minnesota, he allowed one run and five hits in seven innings as New York won 3-1.

That also gave the Yankees a 2-1 lead and they won the next game to advance to the ALCS against the Red Sox.

On Saturday, Clemens controlled his emotions in his farewell from the Fenway mound.

He struck out seven, walked one, allowed five hits – and threw a pitch that was high and slightly inside to Manny Ramirez in the fourth, after Pedro Martinez hit Karim Garcia with a pitch in the top of the inning. Ramirez took a few steps toward the mound, pointed with his bat and shouted at Clemens, who stayed near the mound. As Ramirez was held back by teammate David Ortiz, New York bench coach Don Zimmer lunged at Martinez, who pushed him to the ground.

With Zimmer still being tended to in foul territory near the Boston dugout, Clemens calmly threw warmup pitches to catcher Jorge Posada.

The game resumed with the count 2-2 on Ramirez, and Clemens struck him out. He then retired the side in order in the fourth and fifth innings.

He wasn’t nearly as sharp in the first as three of Boston’s first four hitters hit safely.

Johnny Damon led off with an infield single, Todd Walker doubled and Ramirez hit a two-run single to center one out later. But Ortiz took a called third strike, starting a stretch in which Clemens retired 13 of 14, allowing only Damon’s infield single in the third.

Clemens also worked out of trouble in the sixth when Boston put runners at first and second with no outs on a single by Damon and a walk to Walker. But The Rocket struck out Nomar Garciaparra and then retired Ramirez on a double play.

That completed his work after 96 pitches. He broke his own record set a week earlier for being the oldest starting pitcher to win a postseason game.

That record is now 41 years, 68 days. And if the Yankees win the series, it very well may be broken again.

AP-ES-10-11-03 1954EDT