I think Clemens had heard that it was a possibility that someone (perhaps even Piazza) might let a bat fly out of their hands during the game. I think he reacted as though that's what happened, even though a moment's thought would have told him that was not possible in this case. Or he may have reacted in anger to the potential danger to himself when he saw the broken bat flying towards him.
If I had done what Clemens did, I think I might have said that I threw the bat in anger because I almost was hit with a dangerous object. I would have said that I never saw Piazza running to first. But I would have made sure to make an apology of some kind. It was not sufficient to report to the umpire, "My bad, my bad." Clemens may not have intended to hit Piazza with the broken bat, but his explanations sound very weak.
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