Roger Clemens
William Roger Clemens, nicknamed "Rocket", is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 24 seasons in Major League Baseball, most notably with the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees and also played for the Toronto Blue Jays and Houston Astros. He was one of the most dominant pitchers in major league history, tallying 354 wins, a 3.12 earned run average, and 4,672 strikeouts, the third-most all time. An 11-time MLB All-Star and two-time World Series champion, Clemens won seven Cy Young Awards, more than any other pitcher in history. Clemens was known for his fierce competitive nature and hard-throwing pitching style, which he used to intimidate batters.
Clemens debuted in the MLB in 1984 with the Red Sox, whose pitching staff he anchored for 12 years. In 1986, he won the American League Cy Young Award, the AL Most Valuable Player Award, and the All-Star Game MVP Award, and he struck out an MLB-record 20 batters in a single game. After the 1996 season, in which he achieved his second 20-strikeout performance, Clemens left Boston via free agency and joined the Toronto Blue Jays. In each of his two seasons with Toronto, Clemens won a Cy Young Award, as well as the pitching triple crown by leading the league in wins, ERA, and strikeouts. Before the 1999 season, Clemens was traded to the Yankees where he won his two World Series titles. In 2001, Clemens became the first pitcher in major league history to start a season with a win–loss record of 20–1. In 2003, he reached his 300th win and 4,000th strikeout in the same game. Clemens left for the Houston Astros in 2004, where he spent three seasons and won his seventh Cy Young Award. He rejoined the Yankees in 2007 for one last season before retiring. He is the only pitcher in Major League history to record more than 350 wins and strike out more than 4,500 batters.
Clemens was alleged by the Mitchell Report to have used anabolic steroids during his late career, mainly based on testimony given by his former trainer, Brian McNamee. Clemens denied these allegations under oath before the United States Congress, leading congressional leaders to refer his case to the Justice Department on suspicions of perjury. On August 19, 2010, a federal grand jury at the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., indicted Clemens on six felony counts involving perjury, false statements, and contempt of Congress. Clemens pleaded not guilty, but proceedings were complicated by prosecutorial misconduct, leading to a mistrial. In June 2012, Clemens was found not guilty on all six counts of lying to Congress. These controversies hurt his chances for election to the Baseball Hall of Fame. He never received the 75% of votes required in his ten years of eligibility, ending with 65.2% in 2022. However, despite the steroid controversies, Clemens is still considered by many as one of the greatest pitchers in baseball history.
Early life
Clemens was born in Dayton, Ohio, the fifth child of Bill and Bess Clemens. He is of German descent, his great-grandfather Joseph Clemens having immigrated in the 1880s. Clemens’ parents separated when he was an infant. His mother soon married Woody Booher, whom Clemens considers his father. Booher died when Clemens was nine years old, and Clemens has said that the only time he ever felt envious of other players was when he saw them in the clubhouse with their fathers. Clemens lived in Vandalia, Ohio, until 1977, and then spent most of his high school years in Houston, Texas. At Spring Woods High School, Clemens played baseball for longtime head coach Charles Maiorana and also played football and basketball. He was scouted by the Philadelphia Phillies and Minnesota Twins during his senior year, but opted to go to college.College career
He began his college career pitching for San Jacinto College North in 1981, where he posted a 9–2 win–loss record. He then attended the University of Texas at Austin, compiling a 25–7 record in two All-American seasons, and was on the mound when the Longhorns won the 1983 College World Series. He became the first player to have his baseball uniform number retired at the University of Texas. In 2004, the Rotary Smith Award, given to America's best college baseball player, was changed to the Roger Clemens Award, honoring the best pitcher. At Texas, Clemens pitched 35 consecutive scoreless innings, an NCAA record that stood until Justin Pope broke it in 2001.Professional career
Drafts and minor leagues
The New York Mets selected Clemens in the 12th round of the 1981 Major League Baseball draft, however, he did not sign. Clemens was selected in the first round of the 1983 MLB draft by the Boston Red Sox and quickly rose through the minor league system. In 1983, Clemens pitched for two different teams in two different leagues and at two different levels. He pitched for the A-ball Winter Haven Red Sox of the Florida State League and the AA New Britain Red Sox of the Eastern League. Clemens started all four games he played with Winter Haven, pitched three complete games with one shutout and allowed no home runs. He posted a 3–1 win–loss record, a 1.24 earned run average, struck out 36 batters in 29 innings pitched and his walks plus hits per inning pitched was 0.759. Clemens started all seven games he played with New Britain and pitched one complete game shutout and allowed one home run. He posted a 4–1 win–loss record, a 1.38 earned run average, struck out 59 batters in 52 innings pitched and his walks and hits per innings pitched was 0.827. His combined minor league totals in 1983 included starting all 11 games he played and pitched four complete games with two shutouts and only one home run allowed. He posted a 7–2 win–loss record, a 1.33 earned run average, struck out 95 batters in 81 innings pitched and his walks and hits per innings pitched was 0.802.Clemens started the 1984 season with AAA Pawtucket Red Sox of the International League. In seven games, he started six of them, pitching three complete games with one shutout. Despite posting a 2–3 win–loss record and walks and hits per innings pitched of 1.136, his earned run average was 1.93, and he struck out 50 batters in innings pitched.
Boston Red Sox (1984–1996)
On May 15, 1984 at Cleveland Stadium, Clemens made his Major League debut. An undiagnosed torn labrum threatened to end his career early; he underwent successful arthroscopic surgery by Dr. James Andrews.On April 29, 1986 at Fenway Park, in a 3–1 win over the Seattle Mariners, Clemens struck out a career-high 20 batters, becoming the first pitcher in MLB history to strike out 20 batters in a nine-inning game. Following his performance, Clemens made the cover of Sports Illustrated, which carried the headline "Lord of the K's ." Other than Clemens, only Kerry Wood, Randy Johnson and Max Scherzer have matched the total.
Clemens started the 1986 All-Star Game in the Astrodome and was named the Most Valuable Player of the contest by throwing three perfect innings and striking out two. He also won the first of his seven Cy Young Awards. In 1986, Clemens won the American League MVP award, finishing with a 24–4 record, 2.48 ERA, and 238 strikeouts. When Hank Aaron said that pitchers should not be eligible for the MVP, Clemens responded: "I wish he was still playing. I'd probably crack his head open to show him how valuable I was." Clemens was the only starting pitcher since Vida Blue in 1971 to win a league MVP award until Justin Verlander won the award in 2011. Clemens attributes his switch from what he calls a "thrower" to a "pitcher" to the partial season Hall of Fame pitcher Tom Seaver spent with the Red Sox in 1986.
Facing the California Angels in the 1986 ALCS, Clemens pitched poorly in the opening game, watched the Boston bullpen blow his 3–1 lead in the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 4, and then pitched a strong Game 7 to wrap up the series for Boston. The League Championship Series clincher was Clemens's first postseason career victory. He did not win his second until 13 years later. After a victory in game five, Boston led 3 games to 2 over the New York Mets in the 1986 World Series with Clemens set to start game six at Shea Stadium. Clemens who was pitching on five days rest started strong by striking out eight while throwing a no-hitter through four innings. In the top of eighth and with Boston ahead 3–2, manager John McNamara sent rookie Mike Greenwell to pinch hit for Roger Clemens. It was initially said that Clemens was removed from the game due to a blister forming on one of his fingers, but both he and McNamara dispute this. Clemens said to Bob Costas on an MLB Network program concerning the 1986 postseason that McNamara decided to pull him despite Clemens wanting to pitch. McNamara said to Costas that Clemens "begged out" of the game. The Mets rallied and took both game six and seven to win the World Series.
File:President Ronald Reagan posing with Roger Clemens and Don Baylor.jpg|thumb|left|Clemens with Boston teammate Don Baylor and President Ronald Reagan
The Red Sox had a miserable 1987 season, finishing at 78–84, though Clemens won his second consecutive Cy Young Award with a 20–9 record, 2.97 ERA, 256 strikeouts, and seven shutouts. He was the first AL pitcher with back-to-back 20-win seasons since Tommy John won 20 with the Yankees in 1979 and '80. Boston rebounded with success in 1988 and 1990, clinching the AL East Division each year, but were swept by the Oakland Athletics in each ALCS matchup. His greatest postseason failure came in the second inning of the final game of the 1990 ALCS, when he was ejected for arguing balls and strikes with umpire Terry Cooney, accentuating the A's four-game sweep of the Red Sox. He was suspended for the first five games of the 1991 season and fined $10,000.
Clemens led the American League in 1988 with 291 strikeouts and a career-high 8 shutouts. On September 10, 1988, Clemens threw a one-hitter against the Cleveland Indians at Fenway Park. Dave Clark's one-out single in the eighth inning was the only hit Clemens allowed in the game. In a 9–1 victory over Cleveland on April 13, 1989, Clemens recorded his 1,000 career strikeout by fanning Brook Jacoby with the bases loaded in the second inning. Clemens finished second to Oakland's Bob Welch for the 1990 AL Cy Young Award, despite the fact that Clemens crushed Welch in ERA, strikeouts, walks, home runs allowed, and WAR. Clemens did, however, capture his third Cy Young Award in 1991 with an 18–10 record, 2.62 ERA, and 241 strikeouts. On June 21, 1989, Clemens surrendered the first of Sammy Sosa's 609 home runs. On September 18, 1996 at Tiger Stadium, in a 4–0 win over the Detroit Tigers, Clemens had a second 20-strikeout game. This second 20-K day occurred in his third-to-last game as a member of the Boston Red Sox. Later, the Tigers presented him with a baseball containing the autographs of each batter who had struck out.
The Red Sox did not re-sign Clemens following the 1996 season, despite leading the A.L. with 257 strikeouts and offering him "by far the most money ever offered to a player in the history of the Red Sox franchise." General Manager Dan Duquette remarked that he "hoped to keep him in Boston during the twilight of his career", but Clemens left and signed with the Toronto Blue Jays.
The emphasis on the misquoted 1996 "twilight" comment took on a life of its own following Clemens's post-Boston successes, and Duquette was vilified for letting the star pitcher go. Ultimately, Clemens would go on to have a record of 162–73 for the rest of his career after leaving the Red Sox. Clemens recorded 192 wins and 38 shutouts for the Red Sox, both tied with Cy Young for the franchise record and is their all-time strikeout leader with 2,590. Clemens's overall postseason record with Boston was 1–2 with a 3.88 ERA, and 45 strikeouts, and 19 walks in 56 innings. No Red Sox player has worn his uniform #21 since Clemens left the team in the 1996–97 offseason.