The Baseball Hall of Fame might not call for Roger Clemens, and the former Boston Red Sox ace is OK with that.
Clemens will be on the ballot for the 10th and final time in 2022 and with a record seven Cy Young Awards, as well as 354 wins (ninth all-time) and 4,672 strikeouts (third all-time), Clemens is a no-brainer Hall-of-Fame inductee on paper. But Clemens’ legacy is tainted by allegations he used performance-enhancing drugs after being named in the Mitchell Report, claims he has repeatedly denied.
Clemens told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram he’s not concerned about the Hall or his doubters.
“I never played the game to worry about being a Hall of Famer. The guys who vote for me is great – they’re the ones who look at the details and the facts and understand exactly everything that went on. We did it the right way. I played the right way. I poured my heart into a game I love,” Clelens said.
He played for four teams over his 24-year career, including the Red Sox (1984-96), Toronto Blue Jays (1997-98), New York Yankees (1999-2003, 2007) and Houston Astros (2004-06). He has yet to reach the 75% threshold to gain entry into the Hall of Fame, receiving a personal-best 61.6% of the votes in 2021.
“I don’t care one bit about it. Someone didn’t vote for Derek Jeter. One of my good friends and teammates with the Red Sox, Jimmy Rice, got in on his 10th year. I always teased him, ‘Dude, how did you get better all of a sudden? Did you go play semi pro ball and hit another 100 homers?’ … it’s not going to change me as a person. … It’s not who I am as a person.”
DODGERS: Los Angeles activated outfielder Mookie Betts from the 10-day injured list, and he started in right field in a series finale against the San Diego Padres.
The Dodgers also recalled left-hander Darien Núñez and optioned infielder Gavin Lux and outfielder/infielder Matt Beaty to Triple-A Oklahoma City.
Betts missed 16 games because of right hip inflammation. The 2018 AL MVP while with Boston, Betts went into the game hitting .277 with 17 homers and 44 RBI.
PHILLIES: Rhys Hoskins will miss the rest of the season because an abdominal tear that requires surgery, the slugger announced.
Hoskins leads the Phillies with 27 homers and 71 RBI, and the news is a major blow to the team’s playoff hopes. Philadelphia entered Thursday trailing Atlanta by five games in the NL East.
Hoskins had been playing through an abdominal injury all season, but he aggravated it when he dove awkwardly for a ball at Washington on Aug. 5.
He spent two weeks on the injured list, then returned to the lineup Sunday and hit two homers in a win at San Diego. He didn’t start again until Wednesday’s loss to Tampa Bay, during which he made a few plays in the field that further exacerbated the injury.
Hoskins’ final at-bat this season was a game-tying homer in the eighth inning.
GIANTS: All-Star catcher Buster Posey was out of the starting lineup for a second consecutive game because of discomfort in his left knee, and first baseman Brandon Belt was unavailable against the New York Mets after going on the bereavement list to attend his grandmother’s funeral.
Also, second baseman Donovan Solano was placed on the injured list with no reason given, which is how the Giants have been handling COVID-19 IL moves. San Francisco recalled catcher Chadwick Tromp and infielder Thairo Estrada from Triple-A Sacramento.
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