Detroit - Roger Clemens won't be celebrating his 300th win tonight.

The New York Yankee's pitcher left with the lead but Detroit rallied from a 7-1 deficit in the fifth inning to pull ahead 8-7 and end Clemens' celebration.

After remaining deadlocked at eight through 17 innings, New York second baseman Alfonso Soriano let loose a two-run bomb to give the Yankees (33-23) a 10-9 victory.

It was Clemens' second attempt at the elusive win, which would have made him just the 21st hurler in Major League Baseball history to reach the benchmark.

Baseball enthusiasts from across the country flocked to Comerica Park, 3100 Woodward Ave., in Detroit, in hopes of glimpsing the feat. The 44,095 in attendance shattered the park's previous single-game record by nearly 3,000.

The Rocket also failed to secure a win in his last start on Monday in a loss to Boston, Clemens' former team. More than half (192) of Clemen's 299 wins came while playing for the Red Sox. After retiring the first three batters in order, Clemens faltered, and Boston tagged him for eight runs over the next 5 2/3 innings.

For more on this story, see Monday's edition of The State News.