Based on the social media reaction, Evan Roberts’ rant, and the buzz on TV and talk radio, a lot of people are upset that Roger Clemens was once again snubbed by the Baseball Hall of Fame voters, and will fall off the ballot after 10 years of not being elected.
Not among those people? Clemens himself.
Rocket took to Twitter shortly after it was announced that he did not make it in again in 2022, and basically said that making the Hall was never in his sights anyway:
Clemens says in the note that he “put the HOF in the rearview mirror ten years ago” and “didn’t play baseball to get into the HOF,” so “everyone can now close this book.”
Rocket’s ties to alleged PED use were likely the factor in his non-election, although he came very close, and gained ground every year. Clemens got 65.2 percent of the vote this year, third-most behind David Ortiz and Barry Bonds, up from 61.6 percent in 2021, and his totals increased every year in his third through tenth years on the ballot.
Clemens’ 354 wins are ninth-most in MLB history, and his 4,672 strikeouts are third all-time, but he is the only one of the 24 members of the 300-win club not in the Hall, and he and Curt Schilling – who also timed off the ballot this year after not being elected – are the only ones among the 16 eligible pitchers in the 3000K club not in the Hall (CC Sabathia is not yet eligible, and Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander are still active.
There is still a chance, however, for the man whose seven Cy Young Awards are the most in MLB history: Clemens will be eligible in December for consideration by the Today’s Game Era Committee.
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