Roger Clemens shouldn’t be within the Nationwide Baseball Corridor of Fame however he’ll obtain the Presidential Medal of Freedom, President Donald Trump introduced Wednesday.
Clemens launched Trump at a rally in San Antonio on Wednesday, with Trump dropping the announcement with the previous pitcher close by. Throughout the announcement, Trump stated he had performed golf with Clemens earlier this yr, which prompted him to name MLB commissioner Rob Manfred about his Corridor of Fame case:
“We had a good time, he is a tremendous man. I stated, ‘I will name the commissioner of baseball.’ It is a ridiculous factor that you just’re not within the Corridor of Fame with that form of document. He received seven Cy Youngs!”
It is value noting the MLB commissioner has no energy over who will get into the Corridor of Fame. That’s decided first by voters from the Baseball Writers Affiliation of America (BBWAA), then a committee of voters decided by the Corridor of Fame itself.
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Trump did efficiently intervene on the a part of the late Pete Rose final yr, pushing Manfred to take away the league’s all-time hits chief from the ineligible listing. Clemens shouldn’t be on that listing, nor will Rose attain the Corridor of Fame with no profitable vote.
Trump is appropriate that Clemens received seven Cy Younger Awards, two greater than every other pitcher in historical past. He additionally received two World Sequence championships, 11 All-Star alternatives, an AL MVP award, two 20-strikeout video games and two triple crowns. It is one of the crucial spectacular résumés in baseball historical past, however Clemens by no means obtained greater than 65.2% of the BBWAA vote, nor greater than 25% of the vote in two go-arounds with the committee.
That might be on account of rampant allegations of steroid use, which included dozens of mentions within the Mitchell Report primarily based off testimony and proof from his former coach Brian McNamee, who stated he injected Clemens with anabolic steroids and human development hormone for years.
Clemens is usually accepted to have been a steroid person, however has at all times denied it. That was apparently sufficient for Trump, who chalked up Clemens’ excellence in his 30s and 40s to pure athleticism:
“Individuals speak medicine, he by no means admitted to something. They don’t have any info. They did not discover something. It is not like, ‘Oh jeez, load it up.’ He by no means admitted to something. He is only a bodily monster, OK?”
Because of current Corridor of Fame rule adjustments, Clemens will not be thought of for induction till not less than 2031, and can be completely ineligible if he once more fails to obtain not less than 5 votes that yr.
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The Corridor of Fame’s character clause instructs voters to contemplate private shortcomings with candidates, which has been the primary justification for maintaining steroids customers out. With Clemens’ case, it additionally comes up over allegations of a relationship with late nation singer Mindy McCready.
In 2008, the New York Every day Information reported that Clemens had been engaged in an affair with McCready since she was 15 years previous. McCready confirmed she had a relationship with Clemens however denied it started when she was 15, whereas Clemens apologized for unspecified “errors in my private life” however denied the declare that he had an improper relationship with a 15-year-old lady. McCready dedicated suicide in 2013 on the age of 37.
On Wednesday, Clemens stated he was glad to obtain the Medal of Freedom from Trump:
“I am shocked, primary. Twenty-four years, y’all, this supersedes something I’ve achieved in my enjoying profession. To get it from this man, this president, there would not be one other president I would need to get it from.”
One awkward second did come through the announcement, when Trump a) claimed Clemens was MLB’s all-time chief in hit batters and b) stated Clemens advised him that resentment from hit batters was what sank his Corridor of Fame eligibility:
“He was identified for 2 issues as a pitcher, energy and accuracy. I stated, ‘Then Roger, how come you hit extra batters than every other pitcher in historical past,’ which is true. He hit extra batters than any — and when he hit you, it harm. When you might have a ball going at 99 mph and it is aimed toward your head — so Roger had some issues.
“He advised me, a part of the issue is the individuals on the board have been those who he performed in opposition to, so ‘All of them hate me.'”
Neither declare passes muster. Clemens shouldn’t be MLB’s all-time leaders in HBPs, he ranks fifteenth in historical past with 159. If you happen to slender the group to solely the live-ball period (since 1920), he is nonetheless solely sixth.
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Clemens himself disputed that declare whereas on stage:
“I do not suppose I lead Main League Baseball in hit batters, Mr. President.”
As for the query of voters, the journalists that make up the BBWAA most likely weren’t irritated about Clemens’ propensity for hitting batters. As for the 16-person Up to date Baseball Period committees that rejected Clemens in 2023 and 2026, we all know who the voters have been.
Former executives, veteran media members and baseball historians made up a majority of each committees. The gamers on the committees consisted of Chipper Jones, Greg Maddux, Jack Morris, Ryne Sandberg, Lee Smith, Frank Thomas, Alan Trammell, Fergie Jenkins, Jim Kaat, Juan Marichal, Tony Pérez, Ozzie Smith and Robin Yount. In line with Stathead, none of Clemens’ 159 HBPs have been on the expense of any of these 13 gamers.
It stays to be seen when Clemens will obtain the Medal of Freedom. Trump introduced months in the past in Februrary that Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck would obtain the Medal of Freedom for his heroics in Crew USA’s gold medal win on the Olympics.
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Barring some kind of secret ceremony, Hellebuyck has but to obtain the award.
