Bonds, Clemens miss HOF again despite gains
Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens once again came up short in their bids to be enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.
Annual Hall of Fame voting percentage
| Year | Barry Bonds | Roger Clemens |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 60.7% | 61.0% |
| 2019 | 59.1% | 59.5% |
| 2018 | 56.4% | 57.3% |
| 2017 | 53.8% | 54.1% |
| 2016 | 44.3% | 45.2% |
| 2015 | 36.8% | 37.5% |
| 2014 | 34.7% | 35.4% |
| 2013 | 36.2% | 37.6% |
Derek Jeter and Larry Walker were elected into the Hall on Tuesday, though both Bonds and Clemens continued to make progress with voters.
Bonds made it look easy at the plate over a 22-year career spent between the Pittsburgh Pirates and San Francisco Giants. The seven-time NL MVP hit .298 with a whopping 1.05 OPS in 2,986 games. His 762 home runs are the most by any player in MLB history, and he combined that monstrous power with lightning speed as he stole 514 bases over his career.
Clemens was arguably the pitching equivalent to Bonds in terms of dominance. Across 24 seasons, Clemens went 354-184 with a 3.12 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, and 4,672 strikeouts in 4,916 2/3 innings. He was named to 11 All-Star teams, won seven Cy Young awards, and was named the AL MVP in 1986.
By numbers alone, they would have been locks for the Hall in their first year of eligibility, but the specter of the steroid era shrouded their reputations among the voting community.
After eight years on the ballot, Bonds and Clemens have two more years to gain the requisite 75% of votes to enter the hallowed halls of Cooperstown.