The examples and perspective in this article deal primarily with the United States and the United Kingdom and do not represent a worldwide view of the subject. Please improve this article and discuss the issue on the talk page. (July 2010)

Perjury, also known as forswearing, is the willful act of swearing a false oath or affirmation to tell the truth, whether spoken or in writing, concerning matters material to a judicial proceeding.^[1] That is, the witness falsely promises to tell the truth about matters which affect the outcome of the case. For example, it is not considered perjury to lie about one's age unless age is a factor in determining the legal result, such as eligibility for old age retirement benefits.

Perjury is considered a serious offense as it can be used to usurp the power of the courts, resulting in miscarriages of justice. In the United States, for example, the general perjury statute under Federal law classifies perjury as a felony and provides for a prison sentence of up to five years.^[2] On the other hand, the California Penal Code allows for perjury to be a capital offense in cases causing wrongful execution. However prosecutions for perjury are rare.^[3] In some countries such as France and Italy, suspects cannot be heard under oath or affirmation and thus cannot commit perjury, regardless of what they say during their trial.

The rules for perjury also apply when a person has made a statement under penalty of perjury, even if the person has not been sworn or affirmed as a witness before an appropriate official. An example of this is the United States' income tax return, which, by law, must be signed as true and correct under penalty of perjury (see 26 U.S.C. § 6065). Federal tax law provides criminal penalties of up to three years in prison for violation of the tax return perjury statute. See: 26 U.S.C. § 7206(1)

Statements which entail an interpretation of fact are not perjury because people often draw inaccurate conclusions unwittingly, or make honest mistakes without the intent to deceive. Individuals may have honest but mistaken beliefs about certain facts, or their recollection may be inaccurate, or may have a different perception of what is the accurate way to state the truth. Like most other crimes in the common law system, to be convicted of perjury one must have had the intention (mens rea) to commit the act, and to have actually committed the act (actus reus). Further, statements that are facts cannot be considered perjury, even if they might arguably constitute an omission, and it is not perjury to lie about matters immaterial to the legal proceeding.

Subornation of perjury, attempting to induce another person to perjure themselves, is itself a crime.

Nigeria[link]

See Perjury in Nigeria.

Republic of Ireland[link]

A person who before the Court of Justice of the European Communities swears anything which he knows to be false or does not believe to be true is, whatever his nationality, guilty of perjury.^[4] Proceedings for this offence may be taken in any place in the State and the offence may for all incidental purposes be treated as having been committed in that place.^[5]

United Kingdom[link]

England and Wales[link]

Perjury is a statutory offence in England and Wales. It is created by section 1(1) of the Perjury Act 1911. Section 1 of that Act reads:

(1) If any person lawfully sworn as a witness or as an interpreter in a judicial proceeding wilfully makes a statement material in that proceeding, which he knows to be false or does not believe to be true, he shall be guilty of perjury, and shall, on conviction thereof on indictment, be liable to penal servitude for a term not exceeding seven years, or to imprisonment . . . for a term not exceeding two years, or to a fine or to both such penal servitude or imprisonment and fine.

(2) The expression "judicial proceeding" includes a proceeding before any court, tribunal, or person having by law power to hear, receive, and examine evidence on oath.
(3) Where a statement made for the purposes of a judicial proceeding is not made before the tribunal itself, but is made on oath before a person authorised by law to administer an oath to the person who makes the statement, and to record or authenticate the statement, it shall, for the purposes of this section, be treated as having been made in a judicial proceeding.
(4) A statement made by a person lawfully sworn in England for the purposes of a judicial proceeding-

(a) in another part of His Majesty’s dominions; or

(b) in a British tribunal lawfully constituted in any place by sea or land outside His Majesty’s dominions; or

(c) in a tribunal of any foreign state,

shall, for the purposes of this section, be treated as a statement made in a judicial proceeding in England.
(5) Where, for the purposes of a judicial proceeding in England, a person is lawfully sworn under the authority of an Act of Parliament-

(a) in any other part of His Majesty’s dominions; or

(b) before a British tribunal or a British officer in a foreign country, or within the jurisdiction of the Admiralty of England;

a statement made by such person so sworn as aforesaid (unless the Act of Parliament under which it was made otherwise specifically provides) shall be treated for the purposes of this section as having been made in the judicial proceeding in England for the purposes whereof it was made.

(6) The question whether a statement on which perjury is assigned was material is a question of law to be determined by the court of trial.^[6]

The words omitted from section 1(1) were repealed by section 1(2) of the Criminal Justice Act 1948.

A person guilty of an offence under section 11(1) of the European Communities Act 1972 may be proceeded against and punished in England and Wales as for an offence under section 1(1).^[7]

Section 1(4) has effect in relation to proceedings in the Court of Justice of the European Communities as it has effect in relation to a judicial proceeding in a tribunal of a foreign state.^[8]

Section 1(4) applies in relation to proceedings before a relevant convention court under the European Patent Convention as it applies to a judicial proceeding in a tribunal of a foreign state.^[9]

A statement made on oath by a witness outside the United Kingdom and given in evidence through a live television link by virtue of section 32 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 must be treated for the purposes of section 1 as having been made in the proceedings in which it is given in evidence.^[10]

Section 1 applies in relation to a person acting as an intermediary as it applies in relation to a person lawfully sworn as an interpreter in a judicial proceeding; and for this purpose, where a person acts as an intermediary in any proceeding which is not a judicial proceeding for the purposes of section 1, that proceeding must be taken to be part of the judicial proceeding in which the witness’s evidence is given.^[11]

Where any statement made by a person on oath in any proceeding which is not a judicial proceeding for the purposes of section 1 is received in evidence in pursuance of a special measures direction, that proceeding must be taken for the purposes of section 1 to be part of the judicial proceeding in which the statement is so received in evidence.^[12]

Judicial proceeding

The definition in section 1(2) is not "comprehensive".^[13]

The book "Archbold" said that it appears to be immaterial whether the court, before which the statement is made, has jurisdiction in the particular cause in which the statement is made, because there is no express requirement in the Act that the court be one of "competent jurisdiction" and because the definition in section 1(2) does not appear to require this by implication either.^[14]

Actus reus

The actus reus of perjury might be considered to be the making of a statement, whether true or false, on oath in a judicial proceeding.^[15][16]

Perjury is a conduct crime.^[17]

Mode of trial

Perjury is triable only on indictment.^[18]

Sentence

A person convicted of perjury is liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding seven years, or to a fine, or to both.^[19]

The following cases are relevant:

• R v Hall (1982) 4 Cr App R (S) 153
• R v Knight, 6 Cr App R (S) 31, [1984] Crim LR 304, CA
• R v Healey (1990) 12 Cr App R (S) 297
• R v Dunlop [2001] 2 Cr App R (S) 27
• R v Archer [2002] EWCA Crim 1996, [2003] 1 Cr App R (S) 86
• R v Adams [2004] 2 Cr App R (S) 15
• R v Cunningham [2007] 2 Cr App R (S) 61

See also the Crown Prosecution Service sentencing manual.

History[link]

In Anglo-Saxon legal procedure, the offence of perjury could only be committed by both jurors and by compurgators.^[20] With time witnesses began to appear in court they were not so treated despite the fact that their functions were akin to that of modern witnesses. This was due to the fact that their role were not yet differentiated from those of the juror – hence false evidence or perjury by witnesses was not made a crime. Even in the fourteenth century when witnesses started appearing before the jury to testify, perjury by them was not made a punishable offence. The maxim then was that every witness’s evidence on oath was true.^[20] Perjury by witnesses began to be punished before the end of fifteen century by the Star Chamber. The immunity enjoyed by witnesses began also to be whittled down or interfered with by the parliament in England in 1540 with subornation of perjury^[20] and, in 1562, with perjury proper. The punishment for the offence then was in the nature of monetary penalty, recoverable in a civil action and, not by penal sanction. In 1613, the Star Chamber, declared perjury by a witness to be a punishable offence at common law.

See section 3 of the Maintenance and Embracery Act 1540, the 5 Eliz 1 c 9 (An Act for the Punyshement of suche persones as shall procure or comit any wyllful Perjurye) and the Perjury Act 1728.

Materiality

The requirement that the statement be material can be traced back to,^[21] and has been credited to,^[22] Coke. He said:

For if it be not material, then though it be false, yet it is no perjury, because it concerneth not the point in suit, and therefore in effect it is extra-judicial. Also this act giveth remedy to the party grieved, and if the deposition be not material, he cannot be grieved thereby.^[23]

Northern Ireland[link]

Perjury is a statutory offence in Northern Ireland. It is created by article 3(1) of the Perjury (Northern Ireland) Order 1979 (S.I. 1979/1714 (N.I. 19)). This replaces the Perjury Act (Northern Ireland) 1946 (c. 13) (N.I.).

United States of America[link]

Perjury operates in American Law as an inherited principle of the common law of England, which defined the act as the "willful and corrupt giving, upon a lawful oath, or in any form allowed by law to be substituted for an oath, in a judicial proceeding or course of justice, of a false testimony material to the issue or matter of inquiry."^[24] William Blackstone touched on the subject in his Commentaries on the Laws of England, establishing perjury as "a crime committed when a lawful oath is administered, in some judicial proceeding, to a person who swears willfully, absolutely, and falsely, in a matter material to the issue or point in question."^[25] The punishment for perjury under the common law has varied from death to banishment and has included such grotesque penalties as severing the tongue of the perjurer.^[26] The definitional structure of perjury provides an important framework for legal proceedings, as the component parts of this definition have permeated jurisdictional lines, finding a home in American legal constructs. As such, the main tenets of perjury, including mens rea, a lawful oath, occurring during a judicial proceeding, a false testimony have remained necessary pieces of perjury’s definition in the United States.^[27]

Perjury’s current position in America’s legal takes the form of state and federal statutes. Most notably, the United States Code prohibits perjury, which is defined in two senses for federal purposes as someone who:

(1) Having taken an oath before a competent tribunal, officer, or person, in any case in which a law of the United States authorizes an oath to be administered, that he will testify, declare, depose, or certify truly, or that any written testimony, declaration, deposition, or certificate by him subscribed, is true, willfully and contrary to such oath states or subscribes any material matter which he does not believe to be true; or (2) in any declaration, certificate, verification, or statement under penalty of perjury as permitted under section 1746 of title 28, United States Code, willfully subscribes as true any material matter which he does not believe to be true^[28]

The above statute provides for a fine and/or up to five years in prison as punishment. Within federal jurisdiction, statements made in two broad categories of judicial proceedings may qualify as perjurious: 1) Federal official proceedings, and 2) Federal Court or Grand Jury proceedings. A third type of perjury entails the procurement of perjurious statements from another person.^[29] More generally, the statement must occur in the "course of justice," but this definition leaves room open for interpretation.^[30] One particularly precarious aspect of this phrasing is that it entails knowledge of the accused person’s perception of the truthful nature of events and not necessarily the actual truth of those events. It is important to note the distinction here, between giving a false statement under oath and merely misstating a fact accidentally, though this distinction can be especially difficult to discern in court of law.^[31]

The development of perjury law in the United States centers on United States v. Dunnigan, a seminal case that set out the parameters of perjury within United States law. The court uses the Dunnigan based legal standard to determine if an accused person, "[T]estifying under oath or affirmation violates this section if she gives false testimony concerning a material matter with the willful intent to provide false testimony, rather than as a result of confusion, mistake, or faulty memory."^[32] However, a defendant shown to be willfully ignorant may in fact be eligible for perjury prosecution.^[33] The Dunnigan distinction manifests its importance in with regard to the relation between two component parts of perjury’s definition: in willfully giving a false statement, a person must understand that she is giving a false statement to be considered a perjurer under the Dunnigan framework. Deliberation on the part of the defendant is required for a statement to constitute perjury.^[34] Jurisprudential developments in the American law of perjury have revolved around the facilitation of "perjury prosecutions and thereby enhance the reliability of testimony before federal courts and grand juries."^[35] With this goal in mind, congress has sometimes expanded the grounds on which an individual may be prosecuted for perjury, with section 1623 of the United States Code recognizing the utterance of two mutually incompatible statements as grounds for perjury indictment even if neither can unequivocally be proven false.^[36] However, the two statements must be so mutually incompatible that at least one must necessarily be false; it is irrelevant whether the false statement can be specifically identified from among the two.^[37] It thus falls on the government to show that a defendant (a) knowingly made a (b) false (c) material statement (d) under oath (e) in a legal proceeding.^[38] These proceedings can be ancillary to normal court proceedings, and thus, even such menial interactions as bail hearings can qualify as protected proceedings under this statute.^[39]

Perjury law’s evolution in the United States has experience the most debate with regards to the materiality requirement. Fundamentally, statements that are literally true cannot provide the basis for a perjury charge^[40] (as they do not meet the falsehood requirement) just as answers to truly ambiguous statements cannot constitute perjury.^[41] However, such fundamental truths of perjury law become muddled when discerning the materiality of a given statement and the way in which it was material to the given case. In United States v. Brown, the court defined material statements as those with "a natural tendency to influence, or is capable of influencing, the decision of the decision-making body to be addressed," such as a jury or grand jury.^[42] While courts have specifically made clear certain instances which have succeeded or failed to meet the nebulous threshold for materiality, the topic remains unresolved in large part, except in certain legal areas where intent manifests itself in an abundantly clear fashion, such as with the so-called perjury trap, a specific situation in which a prosecutor calls a person to testify before a grand jury with the intent of drawing a perjurious statement from the person being questioned.^[43]

One significant legal distinction lies in the specific realm of knowledge necessarily possessed by a defendant for her statements to be properly called perjury. Though the defendant must knowingly render a false statement in a legal proceeding or under federal jurisdiction, the defendant need not know that they are speaking under such conditions for the statement to constitute perjury.^[44] All tenets of perjury qualification persist- the “knowingly” aspect of telling the false statement simply does not apply to the defendant’s knowledge about the person she intends to deceive.

Despite a tendency of American perjury law toward broad prosecutory power under perjury statutes, American perjury law has afforded potential defendants a new form of defense not found in the British Common Law. This defense requires that an individual admit to making a perjuious statement during that same proceeding and recanting the statement.^[45] Though this defensive loophole slightly narrows the types of cases which may be prosecuted for perjury, the effect of this statutory defense is to promote a truthful retelling of facts by witnesses, thus helping to ensure the reliability of American court proceedings just as broadened perjury statutes aimed to do.

Subornation of Perjury

Subornation of perjury stands as a subset of American perjury laws and prohibits an individual from inducing another to commit perjury.^[46] Subornation of perjury entails equivalent possible punishments as perjury on the federal level. This crime requires an extra level of satisfactory proof, as prosecutors must show not only that perjury occurred, but also that the defendant positively induced said perjury. Furthermore, the inducing defendant must know that the suborned statement is a false, perjurious statement.^[47]

Notable convicted perjurers[link]

• Jonathan Aitken, British politician, was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment in 1999 for perjury.^[48]
• Jeffrey Archer, British novelist and politician, was sentenced to 4 years imprisonment for perjury in 2001.^[49]
• Kwame Kilpatrick, Detroit mayor was convicted of perjury in 2008 in relation to text messages he sent to his chief of staff, Christine Beatty.^[50]
• Marion Jones, American athlete, was sentenced to 6 months imprisonment after being found guilty of two counts of perjury in 2008.^[51]
• Mark Fuhrman, Los Angeles Police Department detective, entered a no contest plea to a perjury charge relating to his testimony in the murder trial of O. J. Simpson.^[52]
• Lil' Kim, American rapper was convicted of perjury in 2005 after lying to a grand jury in 2003.^[53]
• Lewis "Scooter" Libby, was convicted in 2007 of two counts of perjury in connection with the Plame affair.^[54]
• Bernie Madoff, the former Chairman of the NASDAQ stock exchange, in 2009 he was found guilty of perjury in relation to investment fraud arising from his operating a Ponzi scheme.^[55]
• Michele Sindona, convicted of perjury related to a bogus kidnapping in August 1979.^[56]
• Tommy Sheridan, Scottish politician, found guilty of lying on affirmation in a trial in 2010.^[57]

Allegations of perjury[link]

Notable people who have been accused of perjury include:

• Barry Bonds has been indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly perjuring himself in testimony before a grand jury in 2003 as part of the BALCO steroid scandal, in which he denied using any performance-enhancing drugs.^[58]
• Former U.S. President Bill Clinton was accused of perjury and as a result was impeached by the House of Representatives on 19 December 1998.^[59] No criminal charges were ever brought and upon leaving office he accepted immunity.^[60]
• Former Premier of Queensland Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen was acquitted of perjury due to a hung jury.

See also[link]

• Anatomy of a Murder
• Making false statements
• Obstruction of justice
• Testilying

References[link]

External links[link]

Look up perjury in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Bryan Druzin, and Jessica Li, The Criminalization of Lying: Under what Circumstances, if any, should Lies be made Criminal?, 101 JOURNAL OF CRIMINAL LAW AND CRIMINOLOGY (Northwestern University) (forthcoming 2011).
• Gabriel J. Chin and Scott Wells, The "Blue Wall of Silence" as Evidence of Bias and Motive to Lie: A New Approach to Police Perjury, 59 University of Pittsburgh Law Review 233 (1998).

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Roger Clemens
Pitcher
Born: (1962-08-04) August 4, 1962 (age 49) Dayton, Ohio
Batted: Right	Threw: Right
MLB debut
May 15, 1984 for the Boston Red Sox
Last MLB appearance
September 16, 2007 for the New York Yankees
Career statistics
Win–loss record	354–184
Earned run average	3.12
Strikeouts	4,672
Teams
Boston Red Sox (1984–1996) Toronto Blue Jays (1997–1998) New York Yankees (1999–2003) Houston Astros (2004–2006) New York Yankees (2007)
Career highlights and awards
11× All-Star (1986, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005) 2× World Series champion (1999, 2000) 7× Cy Young Award winner (1986, 1987, 1991, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2004) 1986 AL MVP 1986 All-Star Game MVP Major League Baseball All-Century Team

William Roger Clemens (born August 4, 1962), nicknamed "The Rocket", is an American former baseball pitcher who played 23 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for four teams. Clemens was one of the most dominant pitchers in major league history, tallying 354 wins, a 3.12 earned run average (ERA), and 4,672 strikeouts, the third-most all time. An 11-time All-Star and two-time World Series champion, he won seven Cy Young Awards during his career, the most of any pitcher. Clemens was known for his fierce competitive nature and for his hard-throwing pitching style that he used to intimidate batters.

Clemens debuted in the major leagues in 1984 with the Boston Red Sox, whose pitching staff he anchored for 12 years. In 1986, he won the American League (AL) Cy Young Award, the AL Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award, and the All-Star Game MVP Award, and he struck out an MLB-record 20 batters in a single game. After the 1996 season, Clemens left Boston via free agency and joined the Toronto Blue Jays. In each of his two seasons with Toronto, Clemens won a Cy Young Award, as well as the pitching triple crown by leading the league in wins, ERA, and strikeouts. Prior to the 1999 season, Clemens was traded to the New York Yankees where he won his only two World Series titles. In 2003, he reached his 300th win and 4,000th strikeout in the same game. Clemens left for the Houston Astros in 2004, where he spent three seasons and won his seventh Cy Young Award. He rejoined the Yankees in 2007 for one last season.

Clemens was alleged by the Mitchell Report to have used anabolic steroids during his late career, mainly based on testimony given by his former trainer Brian McNamee.^[1] Clemens firmly denied these allegations under oath before Congress, leading congressional leaders to refer his case to the Justice Department on suspicions of perjury.^[2] On August 19, 2010, a federal grand jury at the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., indicted Clemens on six felony counts involving perjury, false statements and obstruction of Congress.^[2] Clemens pled not guilty,^[3] but proceedings have been complicated after an initial mistrial.^[4][5][6]

Early life[link]

Clemens's parents separated when he was an infant. His mother soon married Woody Booher, whom Clemens still considers his father. Booher died when Clemens was only nine years old, and Clemens has said that the only time he ever felt envious of other players is when he saw them in the clubhouse with their fathers.^[7] Clemens lived in Vandalia, Ohio until 1977, and then spent most of his high school years in Houston. At Spring Woods High School, Clemens played baseball for longtime head coach Charles Maiorana^[8] and also starred in football and basketball.^[7] He was scouted by the Philadelphia Phillies and Minnesota Twins during his senior year, but opted instead to go to college.^{[citation needed]}

College career[link]

This section requires expansion.

He began his college career pitching for San Jacinto College North in 1981, where he was 9–2. The New York Mets selected Clemens in the 12th round of the 1981 draft, but he did not sign. He then attended the University of Texas, compiling a 25–7 record in two All-American seasons, and was on the mound when the Longhorns won the 1983 College World Series. He became the first player to have his baseball uniform number retired at The University of Texas.^[9] In 2004, the Rotary Smith Award, given to America's best college baseball player, was changed to the Roger Clemens Award, honoring the best pitcher.^[10][11]

At Texas, Clemens pitched 35 consecutive scoreless innings, a NCAA record that stood until Justin Pope broke it in 2001.^[12]

Major league career (1984–2007)[link]

Boston Red Sox (1984–96)[link]

Clemens was drafted 19th overall by the Boston Red Sox in 1983 and quickly rose through the minor league system, making his major league debut on May 15, 1984. In 1986, his 24 wins helped guide the Sox to a World Series berth and earned Clemens the American League MVP award for the regular season. He also won the first of his seven Cy Young Awards.

Hall of Fame slugger Hank Aaron angered the pitcher by saying that pitchers should not be eligible for the MVP. "I wish he were still playing," Clemens responded. "I'd probably crack his head open to show him how valuable I was."^[7] Clemens was the only starting pitcher since Vida Blue in 1971 to win a league MVP award until Justin Verlander won the award in 2011.

On April 29, 1986, Clemens became the first pitcher in history to strike out 20 batters in a nine-inning major league game, against the Seattle Mariners at Fenway Park.^[9] Only Kerry Wood and Randy Johnson have matched the total. (Johnson's 20-strikeout performance was originally catalogued separately by MLB because it occurred in the first nine innings of an extra-inning game, but has since been accepted. Tom Cheney holds the record for any game: 21 strikeouts in 16 innings.) Clemens attributes his switch from what he calls a "thrower" to a "pitcher" to the partial season Hall of Fame pitcher Tom Seaver spent with the Red Sox in 1986.^[13]

On June 21, 1989, Clemens surrendered the first of 609 home runs in the career of Sammy Sosa.^[14] Sosa was then a rookie for the Texas Rangers.

Clemens accomplished the 20-strikeout feat twice, the only player ever to do so. The second performance came more than 10 years later, on September 18, 1996 against the Detroit Tigers at Tiger Stadium. Clemens's second 20-K day occurred in his third-to-last regular season game as a member of the Boston Red Sox.^[15]

Clemens recorded 192 wins for the Red Sox, tied with Cy Young for the franchise record.^[16] No Red Sox player has worn his #21 since Clemens left the team in 1996.

Toronto Blue Jays (1997–98)[link]

The Red Sox did not re-sign Clemens following the 1996 season, despite offering him "by far the most money ever offered to a player in the history of the Red Sox franchise". General Manager Dan Duquette remarked that he "hoped to keep him in Boston during the twilight of his career", though Clemens left and signed with the Toronto Blue Jays. ^[17]

Clemens signed a four-year, $40 million deal with the Toronto Blue Jays after the 1996 season,^[9] and won the pitching triple crown and the Cy Young Award in both his seasons in Toronto.

In Clemens's first start in Fenway Park as a member of the Blue Jays (July 12, 1997) he pitched an inspired game, giving up only 4 hits and 1 run in 8 innings. 16 of his 24 outs were strikeouts, and every batter who faced him struck out at least once.^[18]

The emphasis on the misquoted 1996 "twilight" comment took on a life of its own following Clemens's post-Boston successes, and Duquette was vilified for letting the star pitcher go.^[19] Ultimately, Clemens would go on to have a record of 162–73 for the rest of his career after leaving the Red Sox.^[7]

New York Yankees (1999–2003)[link]

Clemens was traded to the New York Yankees before the 1999 season for David Wells, Homer Bush, and Graeme Lloyd. In 1999 and 2000, he won World Series titles with the Yankees. Since his longtime uniform number #21 was in use by teammate Paul O'Neill, Clemens initially wore #12, before switching mid-season to #22.

Clemens made an immediate impact on the Yankees' staff, anchoring the top of the rotation as the team went on to win a pair of World Series titles in 1999 and 2000. During the 1999 regular season, Clemens posted a 14–10 record with a 4.60 ERA. He logged a pair of wins in the postseason, where he pitched 7.2 innings of 1-run baseball during the Yankees' game 4 clincher over the Atlanta Braves. Clemens followed up 1999 with a strong 2000 season, in which he finished with a 13–8 record with a 3.70 ERA for the regular season. During the 2000 MLB postseason, he helped the Yankees win their third championship in as many years. He pitched a shut out against the Seattle Mariners in the ALCS that year and also pitched eight scoreless innings against the New York Mets in the World Series.^[20] Clemens set the ALCS record for strikeouts in a game when he fanned 15 batters in a one-hit shutout of the Mariners in Game 4 of the ALCS. A seventh inning lead-off double by Seattle's Al Martin was all that prevented Clemens from throwing just the second no-hitter in postseason history (Yankee Don Larsen threw a perfect game against the Brooklyn Dodgers in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series). The 2000 World Series win was a sense of revenge for Clemens; the Yankees won the World Series at the same stadium Clemens lost the World Series at in 1986 while with the Boston Red Sox—Shea Stadium. Adding to the surreal touch to the revenge, throwing out the ceremonial first pitch in the game the Yankees won that World Series were the group of teammates that Clemens lost the World Series to in 1986.

Clemens' best year with the Yankees came in 2001, when he became the first pitcher in MLB history to start a season 20–1. He finished at 20–3 and won his sixth Cy Young Award. He became the last Yankee pitcher to win the Cy Young Award. Clemens started for the Yankees in Game 7 of the 2001 World Series against the Arizona Diamondbacks, where he dueled Curt Schilling to a standstill after 6 innings, yielding only one run. The Diamondbacks went on to win the game in the 9th.

Early in 2003, Clemens announced his retirement, effective at the end of that season. On June 13, 2003, pitching against the St. Louis Cardinals in Yankee Stadium, Clemens recorded his 300th career win and 4,000th career strikeout, the only player in history to record both milestones in the same game. The 300th win came on his fourth try; the Yankee bullpen had blown his chance of a win in his previous two attempts. He became the 21st pitcher ever to record 300 wins and the third ever to record 4,000 strikeouts, joining Nolan Ryan (5,714) and Steve Carlton (4,136). Randy Johnson has since also joined the 4,000 strikeout club. His career record upon reaching the milestones was 300–155; his record at the end of the season was 310–160 with 4,099 strikeouts. Clemens finished the season with a 17–9 record and a 3.91 ERA.

The end of Clemens' 2003 season became a series of public farewells met with appreciative cheering. His last games in each AL park were given extra attention, particularly his final regular season appearance in Fenway Park, when despite wearing the uniform of the hated arch rival, he was afforded a standing ovation by Red Sox fans as he left the field. (This spectacle was repeated when the Yankees ended up playing the Red Sox in that year's ALCS and Clemens got a second "final start" in his original stadium.) As part of a tradition of manager Joe Torre, Clemens was chosen to manage the Yankees' last game of the regular season. Clemens made one start in the World Series against the Florida Marlins; when he left trailing 3–1 after seven innings, the Marlins left their dugout to give him a standing ovation.

Houston Astros (2004–06)[link]

Clemens pitching for the Astros in 2004.

Clemens chose to come out of retirement, signing a one-year deal with his adopted hometown Houston Astros on January 12, 2004, joining close friend and former Yankees teammate Andy Pettitte. On May 5, 2004, Clemens recorded his 4,137th career strikeout to place him second on the all-time list behind Nolan Ryan. He was named the starter for the National League All-Star team but ultimately was the losing pitcher in that game after allowing six runs on five hits including a three run home run to Alfonso Soriano. Clemens finished the season with 4,317 career strikeouts, and his 18–4 record gave him a career record of 328–164. After the season, he won his seventh Cy Young Award, extending his record number of awards. He became the oldest player ever to win this award, at age 42. This made him one of five pitchers to win the award in both leagues, joining Gaylord Perry, Pedro Martínez, and Randy Johnson and later joined by Roy Halladay. In Houston, Clemens wore # 22, his number with the Yankees, partly because Pettitte had chosen # 21, in Clemens' honor.^{[citation needed]}

Clemens again decided to put off retirement before the 2005 season after the Houston Astros offered salary arbitration. The Astros submitted an offer of $13.5 million, and Clemens countered with a record $22 million demand. On January 21, 2005, both sides agreed on a one-year, $18,000,022 contract, thus avoiding arbitration. The deal gave Clemens the highest yearly salary earned by a pitcher in MLB history.^[21] It also made him the sixth-highest paid player in baseball that year.

Clemens pitching for the Astros in 2005.

Clemens' 2005 season ended as one of the finest he had ever posted. His 1.87 ERA was the lowest in the major leagues, the lowest of his 22-season career, and the lowest by any National Leaguer since Greg Maddux in 1995. He finished with a lackluster 13–8 record, primarily due to the fact that he ranked near 30th in run support. The Astros scored an average of only 3.5 runs per game in games in which he was the pitcher of record. The Astros were shut out nine times in Clemens' 32 starts, and failed to score in a 10th until after Clemens was out of the game. The Astros lost five Clemens starts by scores of 1–0. In April, Clemens did not allow a run in three consecutive starts. However, the Astros lost all three of those starts by a 1–0 score in extra innings.

He has the second most career wins (behind Greg Maddux) of any right-handed pitcher of the live-ball era. On April 8, 2005, Clemens won his first start of the season against the Cincinnati Reds, which tied him with Steve Carlton for second in wins for live-ball pitchers, and first among pitchers whose career began after World War II. However, it took him a month to surpass Carlton, as he had low run support in a string of five starts that produced one loss and four no-decisions. On May 9, he got his second win of the season against the Florida Marlins, giving him 330 for his career. Only Greg Maddux and left-hander Warren Spahn are ahead of Clemens in wins among live-ball pitchers. Passing Carlton also gave Clemens more wins at the time than any pitcher alive.

Clemens won an emotional start on September 15, following his mother's death that morning.^[22] In his final start of the 2005 season, Clemens got his 4,500th strikeout. On October 9, 2005, Clemens made his first relief appearance since 1984, entering as a pinch hitter in the 15th, then pitching three innings to help the Astros defeat the Atlanta Braves in the longest postseason game in MLB history. The game ran 18 innings, and Clemens picked up the win.

After the NLCS victory, Clemens lasted only two innings in Game 1 of the 2005 World Series. The Astros went on to lose all four games of the franchise's first World Series to the Chicago White Sox. A hamstring pull had hampered Clemens' performance since at least September.^{[citation needed]}

The Astros declined arbitration to Clemens on December 7, 2005, which prevented them from re-signing him before May 1, 2006. The Astros, Rangers, Red Sox, and Yankees expressed an interest in signing him, but Clemens implied that he was finally retiring after his Team USA was eliminated by Mexico in the second round from the 2006 World Baseball Classic on March 16, 2006. However, there was no formal retirement announcement.

On May 31, 2006, following another extended period of speculation, it was announced that Clemens was coming out of retirement for the third time to pitch for the Astros for the remainder of the 2006 season. Clemens signed a contract worth $22,000,022 (his uniform number is #22), which would have been the highest one-year deal in MLB history. But since Clemens did not play a full season, he received a prorated percentage of that: approximately $12.25 million. Clemens made his return on June 22, 2006, against the Minnesota Twins, losing to their rookie phenom, Francisco Liriano, 4–2. For the second year in a row, his win total did not match his performance, as he finished the season with a 7–6 record, a 2.30 ERA, and a 1.04 WHIP. However, Clemens averaged just under 6 innings in his starts and never pitched into the eighth.

Second stint with the New York Yankees (2007)[link]

Following what was becoming familiar annual speculation, Clemens unexpectedly appeared in the owner's box at Yankee Stadium on May 6, 2007, during the seventh-inning stretch in a game against the Seattle Mariners, and made a brief statement: "Thank y'all. Well they came and got me out of Texas, and uhh, I can tell you its a privilege to be back. I'll be talkin' to y'all soon." It was simultaneously announced that Clemens had rejoined the Yankees roster,^[23] agreeing to a pro-rated one year deal worth $28,000,022, or about $4.7 million per month.^[24] Over the contract life, he would make $18.7 million. This equated to just over $1 million per start that season.

Clemens made his 2007 return on June 9, defeating the Pittsburgh Pirates with six innings of 3-run, 5-hit, 2-walk, 7-strikeout pitching. On June 21, with a single in the 5th inning against the Colorado Rockies, Clemens became the oldest New York Yankee to record a hit (44 years, 321 days). On June 24, Clemens pitched an inning in relief against the San Francisco Giants. It had been 22 years and 341 days since his previous regular-season relief appearance, the longest such gap in major league history.^[25]

On July 2, Clemens collected his 350th win against the Minnesota Twins at Yankee Stadium, giving up just two hits and one run over eight innings. Clemens is one of only three pitchers to pitch his entire career in the live-ball era and reach 350 wins. The other two are Warren Spahn (whose catcher for his 350th win was Joe Torre, Clemens' manager for his 350th), and Greg Maddux, who earned his 350th win in 2008.

After reaggravating a hamstring injury during Game 3 of the 2007 ALDS, Joe Torre removed Roger Clemens from the team's starting rotation. He was replaced by right-hander Phil Hughes. With his last pitch, he struck out Victor Martinez of the Cleveland Indians.^[26] Clemens had finished the 2007 regular season with a record of 6–6 and a 4.18 ERA. His final regular season appearance was a start against the Red Sox at Fenway Park, in which he allowed 2 hits and 1 unearned run in 6 innings, and received a no-decision.

Postseason performance[link]

In the 1986 American League Championship Series, Clemens pitched poorly in the opening game, watched the Boston bullpen blow his 3–0 lead in the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 4, and then pitched a strong Game 7 to wrap up the series for Boston. The 1986 ALCS clincher was Clemens' first postseason career victory. He did not win his second until 13 years later.

After a bad start in Game 2 of the 1986 World Series, Clemens returned to the mound for Game 6, which would have clinched the World Series for the Boston Red Sox. Clemens left the game after 7 innings leading 3–2, but the Red Sox infamously went on to lose the game in the 10th inning, and subsequently, the championship. Clemens' departure was highly debated and remains a bone of contention among the participants. Red Sox manager John McNamara claimed Clemens took himself out due to a blister, though Clemens strongly denies that.^[27]

Clemens most explosive postseason failure came in the second inning of the final game of the 1990 ALCS against the Oakland Athletics, when he was ejected for arguing balls and strikes with umpire Terry Cooney, putting a dismal stamp on an A's sweep.^[27] He was suspended for the first five games of the 1991 season and fined $10,000.^[9] Clemens had two other playoff no-decisions, in 1988 and 1995, both occurring while Boston was being swept. Clemens' overall postseason record with Boston was 1–2 with a 3.88 ERA, and 45 strikeouts and 19 walks in 56 innings.

After surrendering the New York Yankees' only loss in the 1999 playoffs in a much-hyped contest with Red Sox ace Pedro Martínez, Clemens began improving his postseason numbers. His 3–0 record in the World Series includes a performance with New York down 2–0 in the 2001 series;^[28] then, in Game 7, it was Clemens who matched Curt Schilling; his start (6 innings, 1 run, 10 strikeouts) was forgotten in the wake of the Diamondbacks' famous ninth-inning comeback. In 2000, after losing two division series games to Oakland, Clemens pitched his most spectacular game as a Yankee in the ALCS against the Seattle Mariners: a complete game one-hit shutout with an ALCS-record 15 strikeouts. Clemens' overall postseason record with the Yankees has been 7–4 with a 2.97 ERA, and 98 strikeouts and 35 walks in 102 innings. In the World Series Clemens became the first (and only pitcher) to pitch against the Mets in a World Series while with both the Red Sox and the Yankees, having been with the Red Sox in 1986.

For the Astros, Clemens was the losing pitcher in game 7 of the 2004 NLCS against the St. Louis Cardinals, allowing 4 runs in 6 innings of work although he pitched well, he tired in the sixth inning surrendering all four runs. Clemens' 2005 postseason was marked by highs and lows. In Game 4 of the NLDS against the Atlanta Braves, he made a dramatic emergency relief appearance, entering as a pinch-hitter (the first pinch-hitting appearance of his career), then pitching the 16th through 18th innings and collecting the series-ending win. However, during the World Series, a hamstring pull ended Clemens' start after two innings, as his hometown team lost to the eventual World Champion Chicago White Sox, 5–3. It was Clemens' only World Series appearance for the Astros.^[29] Clemens' overall postseason record with Houston was 4–2 with a 4.60 ERA, and 29 strikeouts and 15 walks in 41 innings.

Clemens' total postseason record is 12–8 in 34 starts, with a 3.75 ERA with a record 173 strikeouts in 199 innings pitched. Clemens' World Series record is 3–0 in 8 starts, with an ERA of 2.37.

Controversies[link]

Clemens has been the focal point of several controversies. His reputation has always been that of a pitcher unafraid to throw close to batters. Clemens led his league in hit batsmen only once, in 1995, but he has been among the leaders in several other seasons. This tendency was more pronounced during his earlier career and has since tapered off. Still, Clemens' reputation precedes him. After the 2000 ALCS game against the Mariners where he knocked down future teammate Alex Rodriguez and then argued with him, Seattle Mariners manager Lou Piniella called Clemens a "headhunter."^[30] His beaning earlier that year of Mike Piazza, followed by the notorious broken-bat incident in the 2000 World Series, cemented Clemens' surly, unapologetic image in the minds of many detractors. In 2009, former manager Cito Gaston publicly denounced Clemens as a "double-talker" and "a complete asshole".^[31] Clemens was ranked 9th all-time in hit batsmen after the 2007 season.^[32]

Clemens has also attracted controversy over the years for his outspoken comments, such as his complaints about having to carry his own luggage through an airport and his criticism of Fenway Park for being a subpar facility.^[33] On April 4, 2006, Clemens made an insulting remark when asked about the devotion of Japanese and South Korean fans during the World Baseball Classic: "None of the dry cleaners were open, they were all at the game, Japan and Korea".^[34] Toward the end of his career, his annual on-and-off "retirements" have revived a reputation for diva-ish behavior.^[35]

Clemens has also received criticism for receiving special treatment from the teams that sign him. While playing for Houston, Clemens was not obliged to travel with the team on road trips if he was not pitching. His 2007 contract with the New York Yankees had a "family plan" clause that stipulated that he not be required to go on road trips in which he was not scheduled to pitch and allowed him to leave the team between starts to be with his family. These perks were publicly criticized by Yankee reliever Kyle Farnsworth.^[36] Most of Clemens' teammates, however, did not complain of such perks because of Clemens' success on the mound and valuable presence in the clubhouse. Yankee teammate Jason Giambi spoke for such players when he said, "I'd carry his bags for him, just as long as he is on the mound."^[37]

Clemens would also find himself the point of minor controversy when it was revealed in the book The Yankee Years by Joe Torre and Tom Verducci that Clemens' bizarre pre-game ritual included soaking in extremely hot water then having the hottest possible muscle liniment applied to his genitals during his rub-down.^[38]

Accusations of steroid use[link]

In José Canseco's book, Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant 'Roids, Smash Hits & How Baseball Got Big, Canseco alleges that Roger Clemens had expert knowledge about steroids and suggested that he probably used steroids, based on the improvement in his performance after leaving the Red Sox. While not addressing the allegations directly, Clemens was dismissive of Canseco, stating "I could [sic] care less" and "I've talked to some friends of his and I've teased them that when you're under house arrest and have ankle bracelets on, you have a lot of time to write a book."^[39] Clemens did admit to using the prescription pain reliever Vioxx before it was withdrawn from the market.^[40]

Roger Clemens has faced steroid scrutiny when it was reported that pitcher Jason Grimsley had allegedly named him, as well as Andy Pettitte, as a user of performance enhancing drugs. According to a 20-page search warrant affidavit signed by IRS Special Agent Jeff Novitzky, Grimsley told investigators he obtained amphetamines, anabolic steroids and human growth hormone from someone recommended to him by former Yankees trainer Brian McNamee. McNamee was a personal strength coach for Clemens and Pettitte.^[41] McNamee was hired by Clemens in 1998. At the time of the Grimsley revelations, McNamee denied knowledge of steroid use by Clemens and Pettitte.^[42] Initial media reports alleged that Pettitte and Clemens were both named specifically on the Grimsley affidavit. These reports were shown to be false when the affidavit was released and made no mention of Clemens or Pettitte.^[43]

However, Clemens' name was mentioned 82 times in the Mitchell Report on steroid use in baseball.^[44] In the report, McNamee stated that during the 1998, 2000, and 2001 baseball seasons, he injected Clemens with Winstrol (the drug for which Ben Johnson tested positive at the 1988 Summer Olympics). Clemens' attorney Rusty Hardin denied the claims, calling McNamee "a troubled and unreliable witness" who has changed his story five times in an attempt to avoid criminal prosecution. He noted that Clemens has never tested positive in a steroid test.^[45] Former US Senator George Mitchell, who prepared the report, has stated that he relayed the allegations to each athlete implicated in the report and gave them a chance to respond before his findings were published.

On January 6, 2008, Clemens appeared on 60 Minutes to address the allegations. He told Mike Wallace that his longevity in baseball was due to "hard work" rather than illegal substances and denied all of McNamee's assertions that he injected Clemens with steroids, saying that they "never happened".^[46] On January 7, Clemens filed a defamation lawsuit against McNamee, claiming that the former trainer lied after being threatened with prosecution.^[47] McNamee's attorneys argued that McNamee was compelled to cooperate by federal officials and thus his statements were protected. A federal judge agreed, throwing out all claims related to McNamee's statements to investigators on February 13, 2009 but allowing the case to proceed on statements McNamee made about Clemens to Andy Pettitte.

Clemens and Hardin held a press conference on January 7, and revealed a recording of a January 4 phone conversation between McNamee and Clemens. Hardin noted that McNamee did not refute Clemens' denials of steroid use during the conversation, and argued that this should be considered as evidence that Clemens was being truthful.^[48] McNamee told SI.com that he testified truthfully regarding Clemens' steroid use, but that Clemens may be able to pass a polygraph test because "He might actually believe that he's telling the truth."^[1]

On January 28, 2008, Clemens' agent, Randy Hendricks, released an 18,000-word statistical report to rebut the allegations. The main assertions of the report are that Clemens' performance showed normal year to year variation for long-lasting MLB pitchers, and that his performance did not show any apparent benefit from the alleged steroid use.^[49] However, according to four professors from the University of Pennsylvania, there was unusual variation in his statistics in his early 30s and 40s.^[50] These professors concluded the report by saying that they were not sure if this was caused by performance enhancing drugs.^[50] As stated by one of the professors who wrote the report, "The statistics do not point to innocence. We are not saying that the numbers show guilt, but we are saying that the statistics show that something unusual happened in Clemens' career as he entered his 30s."^[50]

On February 13, 2008, Clemens appeared before a Congressional committee, along with Brian McNamee, and swore under oath that he did not take steroids; that he did not discuss HGH with McNamee; that he was not at a party at José Canseco's where steroids were the topic of conversation; that he was only injected with B-12 and lidocaine; and that he never told Andy Pettitte that he (Clemens) had taken HGH. This last point was in contradiction to testimony Pettite had given under oath on February 4, 2008, wherein Pettitte said he repeated to McNamee a conversation Pettitte had with Clemens. During this conversation, Pettitte said Clemens had told him that McNamee had injected Clemens with human growth hormone. Pettitte said McNamee reacted angrily, saying that Clemens "shouldn't have done that."^[51]

The bipartisan House committee in front of which Clemens appeared, citing seven apparent inconsistencies in Clemens' testimony, recommended that the Justice Department investigate whether Clemens lied under oath about using performance-enhancing drugs.^[52] In a letter sent out February 27 to Attorney General Michael Mukasey, House Oversight and Government Reform Committee chairman Henry Waxman and ranking Republican Tom Davis said Clemens' testimony that he "never used anabolic steroids or human growth hormone warrants further investigation".^[53] The case is currently in the hands of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

As a result of the Mitchell Report, Clemens has been asked to end his involvement with the Giff Nielsen Day of Golf for Kids charity golf tournament in Houston that he has hosted for four years. As well, his name has been removed from the Houston-based Roger Clemens Institute for Sports Medicine; it will be renamed the Memorial Hermann Sports Medicine Institute.^[54]

After Washington prosecutors showed "a renewed interest in the case in the final months of 2008," a federal grand jury was convened in January 2009 to hear evidence of Clemens' possible perjury before Congress.^[55]

In July 2009, Clemens’ lawyer stated that he was not among the more than 100 players who tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in 2003.^[56]

A federal grand jury indicted Clemens on August 19, 2010 on charges of making false statements to Congress about his use of performance-enhancing drugs. The indictment charges Clemens with one count of obstruction of Congress, three counts of making false statements and two counts of perjury in connection with his February 2008 testimony.^{[2][57][58][59]}

His first trial began on July 13, 2011, but on the second day of testimony the judge in the case declared a mistrial over prosecutorial misconduct after prosecutors showed the jury prejudicial evidence they had been told not to show.^[5][60] Clemens is now expected to be retried for the second time, say legal sources.^[61]

Adultery accusations[link]

In April 2008, the New York Daily News reported on a possible long-term relationship between Clemens and country music singer Mindy McCready that began when she was 15 years old.^[62] Clemens' attorney Rusty Hardin denied the affair and also stated that Clemens would be bringing a defamation suit regarding this allegation. Clemens' attorney admitted that a relationship existed, but described McCready as a "close family friend". He also stated that McCready had traveled on Clemens' personal jet and that Clemens' wife was aware of the relationship.^[62] However, when contacted by the Daily News, McCready said, "I cannot refute anything in the story."^[63]

On November 17, 2008, McCready spoke in more detail to Inside Edition about her affair with Clemens, stating that their relationship lasted for more than a decade, and that it ended when Clemens refused to leave his wife to marry McCready. However, she denied that she was fifteen years old when it began, saying that they met when she was sixteen and the affair only became sexual "several years later".^[64] In another soon-to-be-released sex tape by Vivid Entertainment she claimed that the first time she had sex with him was when she was 21. She also claimed that he often had erectile dysfunction.^[65] A few days after the Daily News broke the story about the McCready relationship, they reported on another Clemens extramarital relationship, this time with Paulette Dean Daly, the now ex-wife of pro golfer John Daly. Daly declined to elaborate on the nature of her relationship with the pitcher, but did not deny that it was romantic and included financial support.^[66]

There have been reports of at least three other relationships Clemens had with women. On April 29, 2008 the New York Post reported that Clemens had relationships with at least two other women. One, a former bartender in Manhattan, refused comment on the story while the other, a woman from Tampa, could not be found.^[67] On May 2 of the same year, the Daily News reported a stripper in Detroit called a local radio station to say she had an affair with Clemens.^[68] He also gave tickets to baseball games, jewelry, and trips to women he was wooing.^[69]

Other media[link]

Clemens has appeared as himself in several movies and television episodes. Perhaps best known was his appearance in the season three episode of The Simpsons ("Homer at the Bat") where he is hypnotized into thinking he is a chicken (he did his own clucking). Clemens has also made guest appearances as himself on the TV shows Hope and Faith, Spin City, Arli$$, and Saturday Night Live as well as in the movies Kingpin, and Anger Management.^[70]

He appeared in the 1994 movie Cobb as an unidentified pitcher for the Philadelphia A's.^[71] In 2003, he was part of an advertising campaign for Armour hot dogs with MLB players Ken Griffey, Jr., Derek Jeter, and Sammy Sosa. Since 2005, Clemens has also appeared in many commercials for Texas-based supermarket chain H-E-B. In 2007, he appeared on a baseball-themed episode of MythBusters ("Baseball Myths"). He has also starred in a recent commercial for Cingular parodying his return from retirement. He was calling his wife, Debra Godfrey, and a dropped call resulted in his return to the Yankees.

He released an early autobiography, Rocket Man: The Roger Clemens Story written with Peter Gammons, in 1987. Clemens is also the spokesperson for Champion car dealerships in South Texas. In April 2009, Clemens was the subject of an unauthorized biography by Jeff Pearlman, titled The Rocket that Fell to Earth-Roger Clemens and the Rage for Baseball Immortaility, that focused on his childhood and early career and accused Mike Piazza of using steroids. On May 12, Clemens broke a long silence to denounce an heavily-researched expose by four investigative reporters from the New York Daily News, called American Icon: The Fall of Roger Clemens and the Rise of Steroids in America's Pastime Clemens went on ESPN's Mike and Mike show to call the book "garbage", but a review by Michiko Kakutani of The New York Times called the book "gripping" and compared it to the work of Bob Woodward.^[72]

Awards and recognition[link]

While he has two championship rings with the 1999–2000 Yankees, Clemens has also been on the losing end of four World Series (1986 Red Sox, 2001 and 2003 Yankees, and 2005 Astros), which is tied with Tom Glavine and John Smoltz (who were both on the Braves when they lost the '91, '92, '96 and '99 World Series) for the most among active players.

In 1999, while many of his performances and milestones were yet to come, he ranked number 53 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, and was elected by the fans to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. In 2005, the updated Sporting News list moved Clemens up to #15.

By the end of the 2005 season, Clemens had won seven Cy Young Awards (he won the AL award in 1986, 1987, 1991, 1997, 1998, and 2001, and the National League award in 2004), an MVP and two pitching triple crowns. With his 2004 win, he joined Gaylord Perry, Randy Johnson and Pedro Martínez as the only pitchers to win it in both leagues and became the oldest pitcher to ever win the Cy Young. He has also won The Sporting News Pitcher of the Year Award five times, was named an All-Star 11 times, and won the All-Star MVP in 1986.

In October 2006, Clemens was named to Sports Illustrated's "all-time" team.^[73]

On August 18, 2007, Roger Clemens got his 1,000th strikeout as a Yankee. He is only the ninth player in major league history to record 1,000 or more strikeouts with two different teams. Clemens has recorded a total of 2,590 strikeouts as a member of the Red Sox and 1,014 strikeouts as a Yankee. Of his nearly quarter century in the Major Leagues, 13 years have been spent with the Red Sox and 6 with the New York Yankees.

Personal[link]

Clemens married Debra Lynn Godfrey (born May 27, 1963) on November 24, 1984. They have four sons: Koby Aaron, Kory Allen, Kacy Austin, and Kody Alec—all given "K" names to honor Clemens's strikeouts ("K's"). Koby is currently in the Toronto Blue Jays organization.

Debra once left a Red Sox game, when Clemens pitched for another team, in tears from the heckling she received. This is documented in an updated later edition to Dan Shaughnessy's best-selling book, Curse of the Bambino. Debra also was quoted in the book as stating that it was the poor attitude of Red Sox fans that prevented the team from ever winning the World Series (this was quoted prior to the Red Sox 2004 World Series victory).

Clemens is a member of the Republican Party and donated money to Texas congressman Ted Poe during his 2006 campaign.^[74]

Debra posed in a bikini with her husband for a Sports Illustrated pictorial regarding athletes and their wives. This appeared in the annual Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition for 2003. Roger wore his Yankees uniform, with the jersey open.^[75] On February 27, 2006, to train for the World Baseball Classic, Roger pitched in an exhibition game between the Astros and his son's minor league team. In his first at-bat, Koby hit a home run off his father. In his next at-bat, Roger threw an inside pitch that almost hit Koby. Koby laughed in an interview after the game about the incident.

See also[link]

	Biography portal
	Baseball portal

• 300 win club
• 3000 strikeout club
• List of Major League Baseball leaders in career wins
• List of Major League Baseball players named in the Mitchell Report
• List of Major League Baseball strikeout champions
• List of Major League Baseball wins champions
• List of pitchers who have struck out 18 or more batters in a nine-inning MLB game
• Major League Baseball titles leaders
• MLB All-Time Hit Batsmen List
• Top 100 strikeout pitchers of all time
• Triple Crown

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Roger Clemens

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
• Baseball Library
• Biography from the Roger Clemens Foundation
• Roger Clemens at the Internet Movie Database