Trump awards Presidential Medal of Freedom to Roger Clemens
The retired pitcher, denied entry to the Baseball Hall of Fame, called the honour 'a big step up' from Cooperstown.
Explainer
U.S. President Donald Trump announced Wednesday he will award the Presidential Medal of Freedom to retired MLB pitcher Roger Clemens.
"We're giving him the Presidential Medal of Freedom," Trump said at a campaign rally in San Antonio. "And, along with the Congressional Medal of Honor, it's the highest award bestowed upon anyone."
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The president called the seven-time Cy Young winner "maybe the greatest pitcher of all time" and renewed his calls for the hurler to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
What did Clemens say about the award?
Clemens, who was attending the event, took the stage after Trump's announcement and said: "Well, I'm stunned."
Clemens, who was raised in Houston, said he was honoured the announcement came in Texas. "To announce it here in my home state and from this man, you're talking about a winner. That's a winner right there," he said.
He also joked about Trump's knowledge of his career stats. "And the way he talked about all my stats, he could be my agent, and I guess I could come out of retirement again, all those stats you ran off," Clemens said.
Why has the Hall of Fame eluded Clemens?
Clemens is widely considered to be among the greatest pitchers of all time, but a Baseball Hall of Fame induction remains elusive due to allegations of steroid use during his playing career, which he has adamantly denied.
His name was in the 2007 Mitchell Report and he was indicted on charges of perjury and obstruction of Congress after he testified. Clemens was acquitted of the charges in 2012.
Trump addressed the allegations at the rally. "I'm going to call the commissioner of baseball. It's a ridiculous thing that you're not in the Hall of Fame with that kind of a record," Trump told Clemens. "He won seven [Cy Young awards], and they didn't take him. And by the way, people talk drugs. He never admitted to anything. They have no information. They didn't find anything."
What are Clemens's career statistics?
Clemens recorded 354 wins as an MLB pitcher across 24 seasons from 1984-2007 with the Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees and Houston Astros.
His seven Cy Young awards stand as a record. His 4,672 career strikeouts are good for third on the all-time list behind Randy Johnson and fellow Texan Nolan Ryan.
Has Trump advocated for other baseball stars?
Trump said he "worked hard to get a man named Pete Rose into the Baseball Hall of Fame before he died." The president issued a posthumous federal pardon last year for the late Pete Rose, which led to Major League Baseball lifting its ban on the all-time career hits leader.
Trump has called for Rose to be inducted in the Hall of Fame too, also, so far, unsuccessfully.
Trump said he didn't realize Clemens wasn't already in the Hall of Fame until they golfed together last year, and that he called Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred after that outing to try to help the pitcher get inducted.
Who else has received the medal from Trump?
Trump has given the medal to various athletes during his two terms in the White House, including golfing legend Tiger Woods, former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach, famed Yankees closer Mariano Rivera and Lou Holtz, former coach of Notre Dame football.
He's bestowed the same honour on Elvis Presley posthumously and Rush Limbaugh the year before the conservative radio host died.
Clemens was denied Hall of Fame entry in 2022, his final year of consideration by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. He was also shunned by former players in last year’s era committee ballot and won’t be eligible to reappear on the ballot until 2031.
With files from CBC News, Yahoo Sports and The Boston Globe