Roger Clemens is going to be part of Mariano Rivera’s farewell in Houston

The Yankees finish in Houston. And, as has happened in every other city Mariano Rivera has bid farewell, he will get a sendoff there too. And an old friend will be part of that:

Rivera’s final goodbye ceremony will come in Houston, where the Yankees will play their last game of the regular season against the Astros. And that’s where things probably get a little awkward, at least for some people. For scheduled to take part in the pregame ceremony is none other than Roger Clemens, now a special front-office assistant for the Astros who was a teammate of Rivera’s in New York for five-plus seasons.

Not sure why that’s awkward given that Alex Rodriguez has been playing third base to Rivera’s right for several years and given that Andy Pettitte had his own Yankee Stadium farewell in front of Rivera just last weekend.

But as we have learned over the past few years, not all PED users are the created equally.

Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area hints that the Giants may be done with outfielder Hunter Pence. It’s not clear just how seriously the club is contemplating such a decision, but there are six days remaining on Pence’s rehab assignment, at which point they’ll be able to recall him, reassign him to the minors or release him.

The 35-year-old outfielder has struggled to make a full recovery after spraining his right thumb during the first week of the season. Pence bounced back for a 17-game run with the Giants in April, during which he slashed a meager .172/.197/.190 with one double and one stolen base in 61 plate appearances, but was eventually placed on the disabled list with recurring soreness in his finger. He currently sports a promising .318/.359/.388 batting line with four extra-base hits (including a grand slam) over 92 PA in Triple-A Sacramento.

Despite his recent resurgence in Triple-A, the Giants may not need the additional outfield depth just yet. Mac Williamson, who was recalled in the wake of Pence’s DL assignment, has already cemented the starting role in left field and is off to a strong start at the plate as well. Of course, if the Giants decide to say a premature goodbye to their veteran outfielder (who, it should be said, helped them to two World Series championships over the last seven seasons), it’ll cost them the remaining balance on his $18.5 million salary for 2018.