The Rocket — seven Cy Young Awards, the most in baseball history, and a career spanning four decades that made Roger Clemens the most dominant pitcher of the steroid era regardless of context. His fastball and split-finger combination was the most feared in baseball, and his 4,672 career strikeouts rank among the all-time leaders. Set the MLB record with 20 strikeouts in a single game in 1986, then equalled it himself ten years later. Controversially never inducted into the Hall of Fame due to PED allegations, which permanently complicated his legacy.
William Roger Clemens was born in Dayton, Ohio in 1962. He attended the University of Texas before the Boston Red Sox drafted him in 1983. His 24-season career produced 354 wins, 4,672 strikeouts and seven Cy Young Awards — the most in baseball history. He won the AL MVP in 1986. He was a 11-time All-Star. He struck out 20 batters in a single game twice (1986, 1996) — a feat previously unmatched. He won his only World Series championship with the New York Yankees in 1999 and 2000. His career reinvented itself multiple times — he was released by Boston in 1996 after a perceived decline, then won back-to-back Cy Young Awards with Toronto (1997, 1998) at ages 34 and 35. His retirement has been clouded by testimony to Congress regarding performance-enhancing drug use, charges he denied. Despite his statistical case — regarded as one of the two or three greatest pitchers in history — he has not been inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. His on-field legacy and his 354 victories and 4,672 strikeouts remain among the most impressive in the sport's history.
Dominant power pitcher with record 7 Cy Young Awards
How They Played
Power pitcher known for blazing fastball and intimidation
Lasting Impact
One of greatest pitchers in MLB history with 354 career wins
World Series 2x (2000,2003)
Career Honours
- World Series 2x (2000,2003)
- Cy Young 7x
- All-Star 11x
- Strike Out Record: 4,672