SUGAR LAND, Texas -- Roger Clemens raved about all the fun he had pitching at age 50 and putting smiles on the faces of Sugar Land baseball fans.

Still, it wasn't enough to set his mind on a major league comeback -- at least not yet.

"No," Clemens said. "I've had success before at that level and other things. Again, it's a great deal of work and I'm not thinking that at this point."

Pitching for the first time in five years, Clemens tossed 3 1-3 scoreless innings Saturday night for the Sugar Land Skeeters of the independent Atlantic League.

Sugar Land Skeeters pitcher Roger Clemens acknowledges the crowd as he leaves during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Bridgeport Bluefish. AP Photo/David J. Phillip

He faced the Bridgeport Bluefish and struck out two, including former major leaguer Joey Gathright to start the game. He allowed one hit without a walk and threw 37 pitches.

Scouts from the Houston Astros and Kansas City Royals were on hand to see Clemens' comeback -- for however long it lasts and wherever it leads.

"I think it will fuel that speculation," Royals pro scout Ron Toenjes said after watching the performance. "I just don't know what will happen. I don't think anyone does."

Clemens received a standing ovation when he left the game. He stopped to tip his cap to the overflow crowd of 7,724 before heading into the dugout to begin recuperating and see how his body responds to his big night.

Sugar Land manager Gary Gaetti, a two-time All-Star third baseman with the Minnesota Twins, said he was impressed by Clemens' outing after such a long layoff. He admitted before the game he was a bit concerned about how things would go because of Clemens' age and time off.

"He did a great job," Gaetti said. "He really did."

Tal Smith, a longtime Astros executive and currently a special adviser to the Skeeters, said Clemens had great command and that he believes he could pitch in the majors again.

The Rocket agreed to join the Skeeters on Monday after throwing a simulated game for team officials. He was still feeling the effects from that workout Saturday, and said he would have pushed back this start if he didn't have other commitments coming up in the next few days.

"I probably overextended myself a little bit," Clemens said, later adding that he'll be spending a lot of time icing his aging body in the upcoming days. "I wanted to see where I was at. Anytime you do these, they're fun but you don't want to go out and embarrass yourself or embarrass the club."

He didn't rule out the possibility of making another start for the Skeeters, and said he'd discuss it with Gaetti in the next few days.

"We'll visit and if we can do something special down the road, we'll do it again for some of the people that couldn't get here," Clemens said. "I'm definitely open to it if they want to do it. It was a great deal of fun for me now that it's over and I stayed healthy."

Clemens certainly was happy to be back on a diamond instead of in a courtroom. In June, the seven-time Cy Young Award winner was acquitted of charges he lied to Congress when he denied using performance-enhancing drugs.