Roger Clemens was denied Hall of Fame induction for the 12th time on Sunday, receiving fewer than five votes from the Contemporary Baseball Eras Committee and moving one step closer to permanent ineligibility despite his historic on-field resume.
On Sunday, seven-time Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens was not selected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame for the 12th time since retiring after the 2007 season.
After never meeting the 75% threshold needed for selection during his 10 years of eligibility (2013-2022) on the traditional BBWAA ballot, Clemens was removed as an option for voters, per Hall rules.
With the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee coming to be in April of 2022 creating a separate ballot for players and non-players (managers, executives, umpires) from 1980 onward, Clemens has now appeared on this committee’s ballot twice (2022 and 2025).
This committee only meets once every three years, and is comprised of a rotating body. Recent members as of late 2025 include Hall of Famers Fergie Jenkins, Jim Kaat, Juan Marichal, Tony Perez, Ozzie Smith, Alan Trammell and Robin Yount, executives Mark Attanasio, Doug Melvin, Arte Moreno, Kim Ng, Tony Reagins and Terry Ryan, and media members/historians Steve Hirdt, Tyler Kepner and Jayson Stark.
On Sunday, that group of 16 decided Clemens will continue waiting to join baseball’s most exclusive fraternity in Cooperstown, NY next summer. Receiving less than five votes, Clemens will be ineligible for selection when the committee convenes again in three years. If he receives less than five votes again when eligible in 2031, he will lose the ability to ever be elected to the Hall of Fame moving forward.
After retiring as a surefire first ballot Hall of Fame pitcher in 2007, Clemens’ entire career was called into question after he was implicated in baseball’s Mitchell Report in December of that year.
The report was the culmination of an independent investigation into the use of steroids and human growth hormone (HGH) in Major League Baseball, led by former senator George Mitchell. In the report, Clemens' long-time former trainer, Brian McNamee, was the primary accuser, stating he injected Clemens with steroids and HGH on numerous occasions from 1998 to 2001.
Clemens consistently and strongly denied the accusations, which eventually led to his testimony under oath before Congress in February of 2008. His denials to Congress resulted in a perjury investigation and a subsequent indictment on six felony counts in August of 2010, of which he was found not guilty on all counts in 2012.
Guilty or not in the court of law, Clemens was guilty in the court of public opinion. Despite retiring with 354 wins (9th all-time), 4,672 strikeouts (3rd all-time), and a 3.12 career ERA, it was not enough to overcome what the voting body had deemed a dirty career despite never testing positive for steroids during his playing career.
In addition to his seven Cy Young Awards, he received 11 All-Star nods, won AL MVP in 1986, and won two World Series titles in 1999 and 2000. His career WAR after 24 seasons in the majors is 139.2.
After being drafted 19th overall by the Red Sox in the 1983 MLB Amateur Draft out of the University of Texas, Clemens made his major league debut with Boston during the 1984 season. He spent 13 years with the Red Sox (1984-1996), two with the Blue Jays (1997-98), six with the Yankees (1999-2003, 2007) and three with the Astros (2004-06). He appeared in the World Series six times between his stops in Boston (1986), New York (1999-2001, 2003) and Houston (2005), and won the Triple Crown of pitching during his two seasons in Toronto.
In 1999, Clemens was selected to MLB’s All-Century Team by a panel of experts, compiling the 100 greatest players in Major League Baseball history. 15 years later, he was inducted into the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame.
And after Sunday’s vote, Clemens will have to continue waiting to add National Baseball Hall of Fame to that resume.
The committee decided on adding just one player from the group of eight to select from, with longtime second baseman Jeff Kent being selected.
After Sunday’s vote, Kent joins Fred McGriff as the only players ever to be selected by the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee. McGriff was added during the committee’s first year in 2022.
Tom Carroll is a contributor for Roundtable, with boots-on-the-ground coverage of all things Boston sports. He's a senior digital content producer for WEEI.com, and a native of Lincoln, RI.