Roger Clemens Shocks MLB: Candid New Interview on Hall of Fame Hopes, Steroid Era & What’s Next

Roger Clemens’ Hall-of-Fame debate flares up again after Donald Trump’s public push Seven-time Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens is back in the national spotlight after former President Donald Trump used his social-media megaphone to demand the Houston legend’s induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Trump’s post reignited a controversy that has lingered since Clemens first appeared on the writers’ ballot in 2013: should one of baseball’s most dominant pitchers be barred for alleged PED use despite never failing an MLB drug test? Why Trump’s comments matter now • Writers can no longer vote on Clemens—his 10-year eligibility window expired after the 2022 ballot. • The Contemporary Baseball Era committee, which next meets in December 2025, is now Clemens’ only path to Cooperstown. • Trump’s influence over several committee members—most notably Hall of Famer Jack Morris, who has appeared at recent Trump rallies—adds political intrigue to an already polarizing decision. Clemens responds from Yankee Stadium Old-Timers’ Day Appearing at Yankee Stadium in August for Old-Timers’ Day, Clemens politely sidestepped the Trump question but emphasized “the game should honor performance, period.” The Rocket also floated a radical pitch-count rollback that would limit each team to three pitching changes until the eighth inning, a move he says “would bring back the art of the starter” and cut game times. A 2025 season filled with flashbacks • Broken-bat déjà vu: Reporters peppered Clemens with fresh questions about his infamous 2000 World Series bat throw at Mike Piazza after both men appeared at separate Mets-Yankees ceremonies this summer. • Social-media scorecards: Clemens posted a golf round with Trump in which he out-drove the former president by 40 yards, sparking lighthearted trash-talk—and renewed steroid jokes—from fans. • Clemens family milestone: Son Kacy Clemens made his Triple-A debut for the Sugar Land Space Cowboys in July, giving the Astros organization another Rocket in the pipeline. What the Hall of Fame committee must weigh 1. Statistical dominance: 354 wins, 4,672 strikeouts, seven Cy Young Awards. 2. Legal record: Acquitted of perjury in 2012, never suspended by MLB. 3. Era context: Other suspected users—Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire—also remain outside Cooperstown. 4. Public sentiment: A growing analytics-driven generation of voters cares more about on-field value than the so-called “character clause.” Looking ahead The 16-member Contemporary Baseball Era committee will announce its 2025 ballot in October. If Clemens appears, he’ll need 12 votes (75 percent) to gain election. With Trump’s loud endorsement, Clemens’ own charm offensive, and shifting attitudes toward the steroid era, this December could finally deliver the Cooperstown call the Rocket has chased for more than a decade. Key takeaway Whether you view him as a tainted icon or the greatest power pitcher since Walter Johnson, Roger Clemens has re-entered baseball’s center ring. And with political theater, family storylines, and radical rule-change ideas swirling around him, the next three months may determine whether the Rocket’s ultimate destination is Cooperstown—or continued exile just outside its gates.