New York ? If only the Mets had scrounged up $15,000 more, it might have been different for Roger Clemens.

He could have beaten the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees in the World Series. He could have been closing in on 350 victories.

And there would be no debate about which cap he’d wear on his Hall of Fame plaque — it would have an “NY” logo, all right, but it’d be written in curlicue Mets script.

Instead, he turned down the Mets after they picked him in the 12th round of the June 1981 draft. He wanted $25,000, the team countered with $10,000.

“My father had just died and the Mets’ offer wasn’t comparable to the Social Security benefits my family would have lost if I’d gone to work playing baseball,” Clemens recalled.

Today he is scheduled to start in New York pinstripes on what could be a historic afternoon at Yankee Stadium. Against his former Red Sox team he’ll make his first try at earning his 300th career win.

“It’s another milestone, a number that all the great ones have achieved,” Clemens said.

Since making his major league debut for Boston in 1984, Clemens has been defined by huge numbers — a record six Cy Young Awards, nearly 4,000 strikeouts and a pair of games in which he fanned 20.

Now, the 40-year-old is on the brink of becoming the 21st pitcher to reach 300 wins.