Roger Clemens says he ‘did it the right way,’ but Hall of Fame doors remain closed
Roger Clemens’s resume looks the part of a Hall of Famer. He’s got more than 350 wins and 4,000 strikeouts to go with a career ERA of 3.12. But his Cooperstown candidacy remains stalled alongside other stars of Major League Baseball’s “Steroid Era.’’
“I have zero control over that,’’ Clemens told NESN broadcasters on Friday. “I did it the right way. I can’t control that if a guy wants to [use] speculations or non-facts. I have no control over that, so I don’t lose any sleep over that.’’
Since being named 82 times in Major League Baseball’s Mitchell Report on the use of performance-enhancing drugs by players in 2007, Clemens has steadfastly denied cheating. In 2010, the 7-time Cy Young Award-winner was indicted on charges that he obstructed and lied to Congress in denying he used PEDs during his MLB career. After one mistrial, he was found not guilty in 2012 of all six counts of perjury.
“We had to go through an ordeal and we did, and we pinned some guy’s ears back,’’ Clemens told NESN. “Some people don’t care about that, but there are guys that are voting for you. And I have to tell them that I appreciate it.’’
After first becoming eligible in 2013, Clemens has failed to reach the entry threshold of appearing on 75 percent of ballots. In 2015, he appeared on 37.5 percent of ballots. On Sunday, the Baseball Hall of Fame’s 2015 class — John Smoltz, Craig Biggio, Randy Johnson, and Pedro Martinez — will be formally enshrined.
“It was the furthest thing from my mind,’’ Clemens said of the Hall of Fame. “I played the game because I loved to play it. It really doesn’t make a difference in my life.
Clemens made sure to congratulate the players who will enter the Hall of Fame on Sunday—particularly another former Red Sox star who he faced off against in the AL East.
“I knew when I was facing [Martinez], when he was a mound opponent, that I was going to have to be on top of my game, that I couldn’t go out there and have a hiccup against him, because he was going to be on top of his game.’’
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Best Red Sox that are not Hall of Famers
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