New York Yankees pitcher Roger Clemens, right, is greeted by his wife, Debbie, after getting his 350th win as the Yankees beat the Minnesota Twins 5-1 during MLB baseball Monday, July 2, 2007 at Yankee Stadium in New York.

NEW YORK — Roger Clemens had a stack of souvenirs from his 350th win sitting in his locker at Yankee Stadium. Jerseys, balls and other keepsakes, all ready to be autographed.

"I enjoy sharing it," he said.

Still, what Clemens wanted most Monday night was a healthy Alex Rodriguez.

The Rocket reached a rare milestone with a vintage performance, pitching eight innings of two-hit ball and leading the New York Yankees to a 5-1 victory over the Minnesota Twins.

But the Yankees' excitement over his achievement was tempered by Rodriguez's strained left hamstring, which forced the star slugger out of the game.

"It was not good, and that's the downer of the night," Clemens said. "We need him."

Clemens became the first major leaguer to win 350 games since Hall of Famer Warren Spahn of the Milwaukee Braves accomplished the feat by beating the Chicago Cubs 2-0 on Sept. 29, 1963 — just more than a year after Clemens was born. Yankees manager Joe Torre was Spahn's catcher in that game.

"I'm not as old as I thought I was," Clemens said with a wry smile.

In a turn-back-the-clock gem, Clemens (2-3) retired his final 15 batters after Joe Mauer's leadoff double in the fourth. With his wife, Debbie, in attendance, the seven-time Cy Young Award winner struck out four and walked one in the longest outing of his latest comeback this season.

He pumped his fist after striking out his last hitter and walked off the mound to a loud ovation from the crowd of 53,036 as Elton John's "Rocket Man" played over the loudspeakers.

"I'll probably look at the history at another time," Clemens said. "This is no time for me to take a breath. For me, this is a tremendous amount of work."