Astros’ Clemens to keep playing

Rocket's $18 million, one-year deal highest for pitcher

? Roger Clemens is coming back for one more year — and is getting the highest salary for a pitcher in baseball history.

The Rocket and the Houston Astros agreed Friday to an $18 million, one-year contract, and the seven-time Cy Young Award winner made the commitment to play for his 22nd major-league season.

“I’m ready for the challenge. Here we go again,” Clemens said.

Clemens, whose salary tops the $17.5 million Pedro Martinez earned with Boston last year in the option year of his contract, first retired after pitching for the New York Yankees in the 2003 World Series. But he changed his mind and agreed on Jan. 12 last year to join his hometown Astros, accepting a $5 million, one-year deal that was way below his market price.

The 42-year-old right-hander helped lead the Astros within one win of their first World Series appearance, earning $1,825,000 in bonuses based largely on Houston’s home attendance, then said again that he was “99 percent” retired.

But momentum built after he returned earlier this month from a Hawaiian vacation, and he asked for $22 million salary — matching his uniform number — when proposed figures for salary arbitration were filed Tuesday. Houston offered $13.5 million, leaving the midpoint at $17.75 million.

Clemens’ agents, Randy and Alan Hendricks, then negotiated the deal with the Astros on Wednesday and Thursday.

Clemens also is getting the highest, one-year contract in baseball history, topping Greg Maddux’s $14.75 million deal with Atlanta in 2003.