Teams:
Boston Red Sox (1984-1996)
Toronto Blue Jays (1997-1998)
New York Yankees (1999-2003)
Houston Astros (2004-2006)
New York Yankees (2007)
Career Statistics:
W-L: 354-184
W-L %: .658
ERA: 3.12
Strikeouts: 4,672
BB: 1,580
CG: 118
SHO: 46
IP: 4,916.2
WHIP: 1.173
William Roger Clemens was born in Dayton, Ohio. His parents divorced when he was still an infant, and his mother ended up marrying a man named Woody Booher, whom Clemens always considered to be his father. Booher died when Roger was nine years old. He lived in Vandalia, Ohio until 1977 and then spent most of his years in high school in Houston, Texas. He attended Dulles High School where starred in basketball and football. The Philadelphia Phillies and Minnesota Twins scouted him, but he opted to go to college instead. He began pitching for San Jacinto College North in 1981, where he went 9-2. The New York Mets drafted him in the 12th round of the 1981 Major League Baseball Draft, but he did not sign with them. Instead, he transferred to the University of Texas, putting up a 25-7 record and helped the Longhorns win the 1983 College World Series.
Clemens was drafted 19th overall by the Boston Red Sox in 1983 and rose through the minor league system quickly. He made his major league debut on May 15, 1984. In his rookie season, he went an impressive 9-4 with a 4.32 ERA, and 126 strikeouts. He remained steady in '85 with a 7-5 record, a 3.29 ERA, but only 74 strikeouts. He had a breakout season in 1986, going 24-4 with a 2.48 ERA and 239 strikeouts. On April 29, he struck out 20 Seattle Mariners in nine innings, which remains a record (though it has been tied by Kerry Wood and Randy Johnson). His performance helped guide the Red Sox to the World Series, though they lost 4-3 to the New York Mets. He also won his first of a record seven Cy Young Awards, as well as the American League MVP. Clemens attributes his success beginning with this season to the short period of time Tom Seaver spent with the Sox in 1986.
He continued his dominance in '87, going 20-9 with a 2.97 ERA and 256 strikeouts, as well as winning his second Cy Young. He remained consistent through the rest of his career with Boston, going 132-89 with a 3.13 ERA and 1,896 strikeouts. He won his third Cy Young in 1991. On September 18, 1996, Clemens again struck out 20 batters in a game, this time against the Detroit Tigers. It was his third-to-last game as a member of the Boston Red Sox.
Following the 1996 season, the Sox opted to not resign Clemens, with the general manager Dan Duquette remarking that Roger was in the twilight of his career (at the ripe old age of 33). He then signed a four-year deal with the Toronto Blue Jays. His numbers were amazing during his two seasons with the Blue Jays, posting a 21-7 record in 1997 with a 2.05 ERA and 292 strikeouts, and a 20-6 record with a 2.65 ERA and 271 strikeouts in '98. He won his fourth and fifth Cy Young Awards with the Jays, as well as earning the pitcher's Triple Crown each season.
Clemens was traded to the New York Yankees before the 1999 season, and his contribution was evident immediately. In '99, he posted a 14-10 record with a 4.60 ERA, and 163 strikeouts. He helped lead the Yanks to World Series victories in '99 and '00. During his time with the Yankees, he posted a 83-42 record with a 4.01 ERA, and 1,014 strikeouts. In 2001, he won his sixth Cy Young Award. After the 2003 season, at the age of 41, he announced his retirement.
On January 12, 2004, Clemens decided to un-retire and signed a one-year deal with his hometown Houston Astros. He had a stellar first season with the Astros, racking up a 18-4 record with a 2.98 ERA and 218 strikeouts, winning his seventh and final Cy Young. His 2005 season was arguably even better, though his record did not show it. His record was 13-8, but he posted the lowest ERA of his career, 1.87. Unfortunately, he ranked near 30th in the league in run support. He helped guide the Astros to the World Series in 2005, but performed poorly, though it was later discovered that he had been suffering from a hamstring injury since September. The Astros ended up being swept in the Fall Classic by the Chicago White Sox. After the 2005 season, he again retired (albeit unofficially), but was again added to the Astros lineup halfway through the 2006 season. Again, his numbers didn't give an accurate portrayal of his performance. He finished up the season with a 7-6 record, a 2.30 ERA, and 102 strikeouts in 19 games played. The following season, Clemens signed a one-year deal to return to the New York Yankees, but his performance was lackluster, posting a 6-6 record with a 4.18 ERA, and 68 strikeouts. His final appearance was September 16, 2007.
Like Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens has fallen under considerably scrutiny in recent years in dealing with alleged steroid usage. However, like Bonds, I don't feel that the matter of whether or not he using PED's should have an effect on his legacy. What benefits could steroids have given Roger Clemens? I feel that muscular endurance would've been the only benefit. Clemens was already a flamethrower when he was in his early twenties. It's not as though he suddenly began throwing 100-mph fastballs after spending most of his career only throwing 94. And what of longevity? True, steroids may have aided him in staying properous in the league for so long, but what about Nolan Ryan? He retired at the age of 45, still topping 100-mph with his pitches. It seems fairly safe to say that Nolan Ryan wasn't using steroids.
In Jose Canseco's book Juiced, he stated that he believed that Clemens was using PED's due to the improvements in his game after he left Boston. But let's compare those numbers. His record was 192-111 during thirteen seasons in Boston, which gave him a .634 winning percentage. His ERA was 3.06 and his strikeout total of 2,590 strikeouts. This gave him an average of 199.23 strikeouts per year. After leaving the Sox (during his time with the Blue Jays, Yankees, and Astros), his record was 162-73, giving him a .689 winning percentage during those eleven seasons. He had an ERA of 2.91 during that time with 2,082 strikeouts. This gave him an average of 189.27 strikeouts per year. Granted, the winning percentage is fairly considerable, but it also has to be noted that the Red Sox record during his years with them was 1062-978, which gave them a .521 winning percentage. They barely won half their games when he pitched for them. But during the years he spent with the Blue Jays, the Yankees, and the Astros, those teams went a combined 1,005-773, giving those teams a .565 winning percentage, which would explain Clemens's own improvement.
So, his winning percentage increased after he joined teams that were contenders, his ERA decreased slightly from just over three runs per game to slightly under three runs per game. He actually averaged 9.96 fewer strikeouts per season during his years with those teams. This is not to mention the fact that steroids could not have given him the control that he exhibited during his career.
Clemens also had a reputation as being a jerk (again, like Bonds), once complaining about having to carry his own luggage through an airport. He was also known as a headhunter when pitching, though he leveled off a bit during his career. One of the most well-known incidents occured in 2000 when Clemens and the Yankees were facing Mike Piazza and the Mets. Piazza was batting when Clemens drilled him in the head with a fastball, causing a concussion. The two teams met again during the World Series that year. During Game 2, Piazza fouled off a pitch from Clemens that broke his bat. The shard flew toward the pitcher's mound, where Clemens picked it up and hurled it in Piazza's direction as he was running to first. Both benches cleared, but things were settled down before any fights could break out.
So, Clemens may have not been the most pleasant guy in the league and he may have exhibited diva-ish behavior with his constant retirements and un-retirements, but there is little doubt that no other pitcher was dominant for longer or with more consistentcy than Roger Clemens.
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