New York ? The Subway Series has turned into a Big Apple circus.

Roger Clemens comes to bat at Shea Stadium on Saturday for the first time since beaning Mike Piazza and later chucking a broken bat in his direction.

Umpire Charlie Reliford, center, separates the Mets' Mike Piazza (31) and Yankees pitcher Roger Clemens after Clemens threw a part of Piazza's bat toward Piazza during Game Two of the 2000 World Series. Clemens will bat at Shea Stadium on Saturday for the first time since the incident, which was preceded by Piazza being hit by a pitch earlier in the season.

It seems everyone in the city is waiting to see if the New York Mets will retaliate against the New York Yankees ace.

The city tabloids are having a field day. Radio talk shows are filled with calls from angry Mets fans who want revenge.

“Everybody wants to stir the pot, that’s how it is,” Jason Giambi said.

He’s been with the Yankees just a few months, but apparently Giambi already knows plenty about New York. And the drama will be undeniable Saturday afternoon.

Clemens is scheduled to pitch the second game of the interleague series. With no designated hitter used in the National League ballpark, he’ll have to stand in the batter’s box knowing the Mets might fire a fastball at his ear. And Piazza could be crouching right behind him, calling the pitches.

But Clemens, who has hit 132 batters in his career most among active pitchers claims he doesn’t mind.

“Why would I? That’s media-driven,” Clemens said. “That happened a long time ago last time I checked.”

The Mets and their fans clearly haven’t forgotten what happened in 2000. One newspaper story this week quoted unnamed Mets as saying they thought Clemens hit San Francisco’s Barry Bonds with a pitch in his previous start so he would be suspended for the Subway Series.

That’s a theory that would make even Oliver Stone proud.

“I think it’s gotten blown out of proportion,” Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter said. “You’d think they would want to focus on winning games instead of Clemens hitting.”

Jeter has a point. The slumping Mets enter the series a game below .500 and 61/2 games out of first place in the NL East.

“I think they need to worry about more things than a beanball war the way they’re playing,” said Yankees reliever Steve Karsay, a New York native who grew up just a long fly ball from Shea Stadium. “There’s a lot of guys playing against each other now that weren’t there two years ago.”

One of them is 29-year-old Mets lefty Shawn Estes, who came over in a trade last winter and will start on Saturday. He has no personal beef with Clemens, but Piazza is Estes’ catcher, and baseball is a game with a lot of unwritten rules.

“If I allow my primary focus to be on Clemens, I may not get out of the first inning,” Estes said. “That’s an issue between him and Mike. It happened two years ago. It’s a moot point.”