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Roger Clemens on Hall of Fame Snub: 'I Didn't Play Baseball to Get into the HOF'
January 25, 2022
Former MLB pitcher Roger Clemens released a statement after he did not receive the required 75 percent threshold on Baseball Writers' Association of America ballots to earn induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame's class of 2022.
Mark Berman, the sports director at Fox 26 Houston, relayed the message:
Clemens won seven Cy Young awards, seven ERA titles, two Triple Crowns and the 1986 American League MVP during a career that spanned from 1984-2007.
He led the majors in strikeouts from 1996-1998 and won a pair of World Series with the 1999 and 2000 New York Yankees.
The man nicknamed "Rocket" threw 4,672 strikeouts, which ranks third all time. He also made 11 All-Star Games during a career that included stints with the Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, Yankees (twice) and Astros.
Clemens' 10-year run on the BBWAA ballot has come to an end, however, after being shut out this year.
While his on-field accomplishments undoubtedly should lead to a first-ballot HOF honor, Clemens has been connected to steroid and human growth hormone use.
Notably, his ex-trainer Brian McNamee testified that he injected Clemens with steroids and HGH from 1998-2001. Clemens was also named in the Mitchell Report, an investigation into the use of steroids and HGH by MLB players.
Steroids have been banned from baseball since 1991, although testing did not begin until 2003.
Clemens has never admitted to steroid and HGH use, nor did he ever test positive for either banned substance.
Ultimately, Clemens will not be going to Cooperstown on a BBWAA ballot, but he's still eligible to get in via the Era Committee system. He can get in as soon as next year, when the Today's Game Era Committee votes in December for inclusion into the 2023 class.