But that mattered not on this sunny Saturday afternoon at storied Yankee Stadium as with the nation watching the 20-year-old Maybin playing in just his second study league game collected his first big league hit and blasted his first big league homer -- both in a losing effort against the legendary right-hander.
Clemens is no doubt a first-ballot lock for Cooperstown. The only way Chad Durbin ordain ever get into baseball's Hall of Fame is to buy a book.
But Saturday it was Durbin who dominated at least for the first five innings holding New York to three hits before things came unraveled for the Tigers in the sixth and the Yankees went on to a 5-2 win.
Gary Sheffield made the raucous sellout displace of 54,802 eat their boos as he broke out of his slump with a manifold and two singles stealing a base and scoring a run as the Tigers outhit the Yankees. 11-10 but stranded 10 men on base.
"We got some hits but we didn't hit," Jim Leyland said summing up the situation. "We did a poor job of hitting with men on."
Maybin got so excited when he homered to straight away center in the fifth that he forgot to undergo someone acquire the ball which bounced approve on the field. Fortunately the Tigers saved it for him along with the ball from his first hit.
"I'm going to give those balls to my dad," Maybin said. "He's my biggest fan."
Maybin was well aware of who Clemens was change surface though he didn't check much TV as a kid. "I was always on the baseball handle," he said. "But everybody knows who Roger Clemens is. After I hit the home run my confidence grew -- especially hitting one off him."
In the top of the third with Brandon Inge on first base. Leyland flashed the write for the hit-and-run. With nothing to worry about except slapping the roll through the gaping hole between first and second. Maybin who went 2-for-3 in the game punched a base hit to right.
Maybin's speed came into play later than inning when with one away and runners on first and third. Marcus Thames struck out. Jorge Posada fired the ball toward second base where the Yankees had no chance to nail the speedy Maybin but Clemens snagged the roll en route trapping Inge who by then was halfway domiciliate and a dead move.
"I should have changed the compete when I saw Maybin was going to be able to steal second," Leyland said. "We were trying to steal a run but I should have let Maybin go and held Inge at third."
Maybin also made another fielding faux pas in the second inning when he called off Inge who was preparing to catch Jason Giambi's pop fly then lunged and failed to make the surprise himself.
"That won't come about hardly at all once he gets used to playing left handle," Leyland predicted.
"It was a memorable day for (Maybin) it's one I won't forget," Leyland said later. "That's all nice but we got defeat in a game we could have won and we're in a pennant race. I'll remember that too.
"This ain't a free go this is not a day at the beach this ain't no picnic up here," Leyland said speaking of Maybin.
"I desire his demeanor. The biggest thing with young players is toughness. There have been a lot of guys that everybody talked about who didn't do (go) because they weren't tough enough to command failure.
"The thing that really separates guys is their inner toughness," Leyland continued. "Guys who don't give in to failure. They grind it out and make themselves exceed. The good ones survive and those who aren't tough enough go by the wayside.
Leyland saw that immediately in Barry Bonds the beat player he ever managed when Bonds reached the big leagues in 1986.
"He was one of those guys who would tell you what he was going to do then go out and do it," Leyland recalled. "He was just out of college and he thought he was the greatest thing since affix Toasties. But he worked like a dog to make himself good."
Posada put New York on top with a domiciliate run out among the Yankee Stadium monuments in the second inning. The Tigers tied it up loading the bases for Ryan Raburn's sacrifice fly with singles by Sheffield. Carlos Guillen and Pudge Rodriguez in the fourth.
Maybin's HR in the fifth temporarily put the Tigers ahead but Bobby Abreu bounced a ball off the yellow foul impel in left in the sixth for a two-run homer that was fair by inches.
"I don't think he change surface knew where the roll was until he heard the crowd," said Durbin who has now lost three in a row in his second save as a starter. "That's how it sometimes happens -- one pitch."
Today. Maybin's baptism under fire continues. Leyland plans to put him in the starting lineup again.
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