NEW YORK -- Yankees reliever Mike Myers had so anticipated the moment that he planned an early seat in the dugout. A few of the Pirates also trickled out to the field prematurely. But when it came time for Roger Clemens' grand entrance -- the starting pitcher's customary walk to the bullpen -- expectations fell somewhat flat with a crowd still trying to make its way into the ballpark. "It wasn't as loud as I thought it would be," Myers said about Clemens' initial reception. "It was sort of subdued." As for the 44-year-old's return to a major league mound Saturday for the first time in nearly nine months, it could hardly be deemed a dud considering the outcome, a 9-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates. But the energy and electricity were mostly absent until the final inning Clemens pitched. He walked off the mound after an 84-mph splitter -- his 108th pitch of the day -- left Pirates right fielder Ryan Doumit flailing for Clemens's seventh and final strikeout of the day. It ended the top of the sixth inning with the Yankees up 4-3 and made it possible for Clemens to capture his first win as a Yankee since the 2003 American League Championship Series. The matinee crowd of 54,296 -- tepid until that point -- stood and cheered upon Clemens' departure, and with each step he took toward the Yankees' dugout, its chorus grew louder and louder to the decibel level that Myers had anticipated all along. Derek Jeter playfully tapped Clemens on the rear before teammates and coaches peppered the right-hander with fist-pumps and high-fives. Clemens then retreated into the clubhouse, failing to come out for a much-wanted curtain call.