Astros icon Roger Clemens faces brutal Hall of Fame truth after latest vote

Former Houston Astros starter Roger Clemens was the best pitcher of a generation, and yet, he's still not in the National Baseball Hall of Fame. The Baseball Writers Association of America made their stance clear from 2013-2022 with Clemens failing to get the necessary 75% in order to be enshrined in Cooperstown, and the Era Committee just made their position apparent on Sunday night.

Former Astros infielder Jeff Kent was the only player on the ballot to receive the necessary number of votes (12) from the Era Committee and will be inducted in the Hall of Fame next summer. Clemens, however, received fewer than five votes, and is thus ineligible to be part of the next Era Committee ballot set to be voted upon in 2028.

The Rocket must now wait until 2031 for his next shot to immortalized alongside the all-time greats, but if he fails to surpass five votes again, Clemens will no longer be up for consideration.

Astros' icon Roger Clemens won't be up for the Hall of Fame again until 2031

Obviously, Clemens has a complicated history. He, along with the Home Run King Barry Bonds, are among the greatest baseball players to ever step onto the field, and yet, both have been black-balled by the Hall of Fame due to allegations of performance enhancing drug use. Bonds admitted to unknowingly taking steroids during his career, but Clemens has always maintained his innocence. He was even acquitted of perjury charges before Congress.

Clemens' case for the Hall of Fame is undoubtedly a complicated one, and he'll now have to wait another six years before knowing whether or not his crusade will continue or finally come to an end. Time has a way of healing all wounds, but the longer this saga continues, the less likely is seems that Clemens will ever receive a bust in Cooperstown.

And so, the debate rages on. Is Clemens a Hall of Famer? The numbers say, yes. But the voters say, no. Before, it was the BBWAA who told Clemens he wasn't getting in. Now it's those who are in the Hall of Fame themselves. It's going to be tough to win over that crowd.