In the Lone Star State, former MLB pitcher Roger Clemens is as close as it gets to royalty.
The former University of Texas star, who went on to win 354 games and strike out 4,672 batters in his 24 major league seasons, was featured guest Wednesday night as President Donald Trump presided over a political rally in San Antonio.
Calling Clemens "one of the greatest athletes and maybe the greatest pitcher of all time," Trump announced plans to give the seven-time Cy Young award winner the nation's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
"He deserves to be in the Hall of Fame, but this is a big step up from the Hall of Fame," Trump said.
But Clemens' candidacy for Cooperstown is a complicated one.
Roger Clemens' MLB career
In terms of on-field accomplishments,
few pitchers in baseball history have ever reached Clemens' level.
- His seven Cy Young awards, given to the best pitcher in each league, are the most ever. (Randy Johnson is second with five.)
- His strikeout total ranks third all-time behind only Johnson (4,875) and Nolan Ryan (5,714).
- His 354 wins rank ninth in baseball history, with only Greg Maddux (355) and Warren Spahn (363) ahead of him among pichers since World War II.
- His career total of 139 Wins Above Replacement puts him at No. 8 overall.
- In addition, Clemens was an 11-time All-Star, a two-time World Series champion and the 1986 AL MVP.
Why isn't Roger Clemens in the Hall of Fame?
Following his retirement after the 2007 season, Clemens was on the ballot for the Baseball Hall of Fame for 10 years, from 2013 to 2022. His percentage of votes from the Baseball Writers' Association of America gradually increased over that span, but he never reached the 75% needed for induction. He came closest in his last year of eligibility, gaining 65.2% support in 2022.
Clemens was also on the Veterans Committee ballot in 2023 and 2026, but failed to get the 75% support each time.
The main stumbling block for Clemens' Hall of Fame candidacy was his alleged use of performance enhancing drugs (PEDs). His name appeared prominently in the 2007 Mitchell Report, which contained claims from Clemens' former personal trainer that he injected the star pitcher with anabolic steroids and human growth hormone. Clemens claimed he only received lidocaine and Vitamin B-12 shots.
After denying he used PEDs in a 2008 Congressional hearing, Clemens was indicted on perjury charges. However, he was acquitted of all charges in 2012.
Clemens was also accused of having an affair with country music singer Mindy McCready that allegedly began when she was 15 years old. Clemens was married at the time. Although he denied any affair and described her as a "longtime family friend," Clemens did broadly apologize for "mistakes" he made in his personal life.
Roger Clemens' relationship with President Trump
At the Oct. 7 rally, Clemens introduced Trump, then returned to the stage after the president's speech to shake hands and express his appreciation for the Medal of Freedom.
"There isn't another president I'd want to get it from, and to announce it here in my home state, from this man, you're talking about winner, that's a winner right there," Clemens told the cheering crowd.
Clemens and Trump do have a history together. The two have often played golf, with Trump calling for Clemens to be inducted into Cooperstown shortly after they played a round at Trump National Golf Club outside Washington, D.C., in August 2025.
Clemens is a registered Republican and has expressed his support for President Trump going back to his first term in office.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Roger Clemens has ties to President Trump, but it's not enough for Hall
