Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens were among those who were snubbed from the Baseball Hall of Fame in their final year of eligibility from baseball writers on Tuesday, but at least one legendary player has their backs.
Hall of Fame catcher Ivan Rodriguez said he believes both players should get in regardless of their associations with performance-enhancing drugs.
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Ivan Rodriguez of the Texas Rangers looks on during an MLB game at Comiskey Park in Chicago, Illinois.
(SPX/Ron Vesely Photography via Getty Images)
“The numbers those two guys put up, we’re talking about a guy (Bonds) that is number one in home runs in the history of baseball, and you have a guy (Clemens) with the most Cy Youngs (Awards) in baseball. Obviously they have tremendous careers,” Rodriguez said at a news conference promoting his appearance at a golf tournament later this year, according to the New York Post.
“… Hopefully one day they both can be in the Hall of Fame because their careers are unbelievable.”
Bonds and Clemens were both dominant players during their era of baseball. Bonds became one of the most fearsome players at the plate while Clemens was just as fierce on the mound.
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Barry Bonds dominated baseball in the early 2000s.
(Steve Granitz/WireImage)
Bonds retired as the home run king with 756 dingers in his career. Clemens put together a career in which he won seven Cy Young awards, two World Series rings and two pitching Triple Crowns.
The former San Francisco Giants and Pirates outfielder Bonds congratulated David Ortiz for making it to the Hall of Fame but didn’t react to getting snubbed again.
Clemens released a statement on social media.
“Hey y’all! I figured I’d give y’all a statement since it’s that time of the year again. My family and I put the HOF in the rear view mirror ten years ago. I didn’t play baseball to get into the HOF. I played to make a generational difference in the lives of my family,” he wrote. “… look at the facts and vote for me. Hopefully everyone can now close this book and keep their eyes forward focusing on what is really important in life. All love.”
New York Yankees pitchers Andy Pettitte, left, and Roger Clemens talking with a teammate during a baseball game against the Detroit Tigers in Detroit.
(AP2008)
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Clemens and Bonds have another shot later this year of getting into the Hall via the Today’s Game Era Committee. But if they fail, the committee doesn’t meet again until 2024.