Rocket Return
It is official, Roger Clemens has signed a deal with the Houston Astros. Hopefully, this will end the ridiculous notion that Clemens is one of the great Yankees and should go into the Hall of Fame in Pinstripes.
Clemens is a great pitcher, one of the best ever, and he was an important part of the Yankees who went to four of the last five World Series. Yet, Clemens should not be remembered as a Yankee, but as a Red Sox. He pitched for them the longest and won more games for them than he did for any other team. Yes, he won his 300th and struck out his 4000th with the Yankees, but those moments do not erase all his time with Boston.
There were bad feelings on both sides when he left Boston and I imagine those will be repaired in the next few years. Remember, Carlton Fisk wasn’t exactly a fan of Boston when he left, yet he is in the Hall of Fame as a Red Sox.
Clemens won 77 games for the Yankees, or 14 less than Tommy John did. He deserves to be remembered as a big contributor for the Yankees, but he doesn’t deserve a monument.
Peter can be reached at peter@yankeesredsox.com