Roger Clemens

William Roger Clemens, better known as “Rocket,” is a retired American pitcher whose 24-year MLB career made him one of the game’s all-time greats. He spent the bulk of his time with the Boston Red Sox (13 seasons) and the New York Yankees (six), but also pitched for the Toronto Blue Jays (two years) and the Houston Astros (three). His career numbers include 354 wins, a 3.12 ERA, and 4,672 strikeouts—the third-highest total ever. Clemens was an 11-time All-Star, a two-time World Series champion, and won seven Cy Young Awards, more than any other pitcher.

Boston Red Sox (1984–1996)

His reputation was built on a fierce competitiveness and a hard-throwing style that often intimidated hitters. Clemens broke into the majors with Boston in 1984 and anchored their pitching staff for 12 years. In 1986, he took home the AL Cy Young Award, the AL MVP, and the All-Star Game MVP, and also set an MLB record by striking out 20 batters in a single game.

Toronto Blue Jays (1997–1998)

After the 1996 season—during which he notched his second 20-strikeout performance—he left Boston as a free agent and signed with Toronto. In both of his seasons there, he won the Cy Young Award and the pitching triple crown (leading the league in wins, ERA, and strikeouts). A trade sent him to the Yankees before the 1999 season, where he won his two World Series rings. In 2001, he became the first pitcher ever to start a season with a 20–1 win-loss record.

He reached his 300th win and 4,000th strikeout in the same game in 2003. Clemens then moved to the Astros in 2004, spending three seasons there and winning his seventh Cy Young. He returned to the Yankees for one final season in 2007 before retiring. He remains the only pitcher in MLB history with more than 350 wins and over 4,500 strikeouts.

Steroid use accusations

Clemens’s legacy is complicated by allegations of steroid use. The Mitchell Report claimed he used anabolic steroids late in his career, based largely on testimony from his former trainer, Brian McNamee. Clemens denied these claims under oath before Congress, leading to a referral to the Justice Department for possible perjury. In August 2010, a federal grand jury indicted him on six felony counts, including perjury and false statements.

He pleaded not guilty, but a mistrial was declared due to prosecutorial misconduct. In June 2012, a jury found him not guilty on all counts. These controversies hurt his Hall of Fame chances; in ten years of eligibility, he never reached the required 75% of votes, peaking at 65.2% in 2022.

Early life

Still, many regard him as one of the greatest pitchers in baseball history. Clemens was born on August 4, 1962, in Dayton, Ohio, the fifth child of Bill and Bess Clemens. His great-grandfather Joseph Clemens immigrated from Germany in the 1880s. His parents separated when he was an infant, and his mother soon married Woody Booher, whom Clemens considers his father.

Booher died when Clemens was nine, and Clemens has said the only time he felt envious of other players was seeing them with their fathers in the clubhouse. He lived in Vandalia, Ohio, until 1977, then spent most of high school in Houston, Texas. At Spring Woods High School, he played baseball, football, and basketball. The Philadelphia Phillies and Minnesota Twins scouted him, but he chose college instead.

Clemens started at San Jacinto College North in 1981, posting a 9–2 record. He then transferred to the University of Texas at Austin, where he went 25–7 over two All-American seasons and was on the mound when the Longhorns won the 1983 College World Series. He became the first Texas player to have his uniform number retired. In 2004, the Rotary Smith Award was renamed the Roger Clemens Award, given to the nation’s top college pitcher.

At Texas, he threw 35 consecutive scoreless innings, an NCAA record that stood until 2001. The New York Mets drafted Clemens in the 12th round in 1981, but he didn’t sign. The Boston Red Sox took him in the first round (19th overall) of the 1983 draft, and he quickly moved through the minors.

That year, he pitched for the A-ball Winter Haven Red Sox and the AA New Britain Red Sox. With Winter Haven, he started four games, threw three complete games and one shutout, allowed no home runs, and had a 3–1 record with a 1.24 ERA, 36 strikeouts in 29 innings, and a WHIP of 0.759. With New Britain, he started seven games, threw one complete-game shutout, allowed one home run, and posted a 4–1 record with a 1.38 ERA, 59 strikeouts in 52 innings, and a WHIP of 0.827. Combined, he started all 11 games, threw four complete games and two shutouts, allowed just one homer, and finished with a 7–2 record, a 1.33 ERA, 95 strikeouts in 81 innings, and a WHIP of 0.827.