On September 18th, 1996, Roger Clemens tied his own record for strikeouts in a game when he struck out 20 Detroit Tiger batters in a nine-inning game. Going the distance at Tiger Stadium in the Red Sox’s 4-0 victory, he gave up no walks and just 4 hits. Travis Fryman struck out 4 times and future Player Rep Tony Clark was punched out 3 times. Roger “The Rocket” first achieved the same feat a decade earlier on April 29th 1986, against the Mariners.

Roger Clemens is the greatest pitcher in the history of the game. Let’s look a the numbers:

• 7 Cy Young Awards
• 1 American League Most Valuable Player Award (an award almost never given to a pitcher who only “plays” every 5th day)
• 5 20-Win Seasons
• 354 Wins
• 6 times leading the League in Shut Outs
• 7 times leading the League in ERA

I could go on and on with the numbers. Especially if I was to start listing Advanced Stats like FIP and ERA+.

A Roger Clemens start was must-see tv. He was electric. He was dominating. He was everything a Starting Pitcher is supposed to be. But he is not in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Why? Because he is tainted by the “Steroid Scandal.”

I have mentioned here before my disdain for those who believe Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriquez, and Roger Clemens do not belong in the Hall of Fame because they “cheated.”

Babe Ruth played in a segregated league in a tiny ballpark built to take advantage of his swing. A good case could be made that everyone from his era “cheated.”

Mickey Mantle took uppers. Whitey Ford used his belt-buckle to scuff up the ball so he could throw it better.

The New York Yankees and other large-market teams have fought real revenue sharing with small-market teams for years. This insures that they always have more money for free agents than most of the teams in the League. A case could be made that they have historically and continue to “cheat.”

If Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, and White Ford are in the Hall of Fame, Roger Clemens belongs there as well.