Clemens No. 2 strikeout king

Roger Clemens had nine strikeouts to boost his total to 4,140.
HOUSTON (AP) -- Welcome to Houston, home of the strikeout kings.
Roger Clemens moved into second place on the career strikeout list behind fellow Houston-area native Nolan Ryan, and became first six-game winner in the major leagues, leading the Astros over Pittsburgh 6-2 Wednesday night.
Clemens struck out Raul Mondesi swinging in the fifth inning to pass Hall of Fame left-hander Steve Carlton with No. 4,137.
He finished the night with nine strikeouts to increase his career total to 4,140.
"I think what [Ryan] did was amazing," Clemens said. "Obviously, I won't make it that long. Right now, I'm mentally drained from the game I just had. It seems to get tougher and tougher."
Ryan, a native of nearby Alvin, tops the strikeout list with 5,714.
Standing ovation
A crowd of 35,883 -- the Astros' first home non-sellout with Clemens on the mound -- gave Clemens a long standing ovation after he fired a 89 mph split-fingered pitch past Mondesi to move into second place.
Clemens (6-0) briefly acknowledged the cheers by tipping his cap to the fans.
"I can't tell you, as an athlete on center stage, what it's like to have that kind of help," he said.
Soon after, Clemens added No. 4,138 by getting Craig Wilson swinging at a similar pitch. He struck out two more batters in the sixth before leaving the game.
"[Clemens] is one of those rare cats to pitch as long as he has and put up all those crooked numbers," Astros manager Jimy Williams said.
At 41-years-old, Clemens is pitching in his 21st season in the majors. He won his 316th career game, putting him only two behind Phil Niekro for 14th place. He gave up two runs on five hits.
Jeff Kent, Lance Berkman and Morgan Ensberg each drove in two runs to lead the Astros to their 12th victory in 13 games against the Pirates.
Kip Wells (2-4) dropped his third straight start, allowing five runs and eight hits in five innings. The right-hander from Houston -- just like his boyhood idol, Clemens -- struggled against the NL's top-hitting team.
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