Roger Clemens.

Roger Clemens. Roger Clemens, born in 1962, American professional baseball player, seven-time winner of the Cy Young Award. Clemens won the award, given annually to the top pitchers in the American and National leagues, more times than any other player. Because of his explosive fastball and intense competitiveness, the powerful righthander was nicknamed the Rocket. William Roger Clemens was born in Dayton, Ohio, and raised in Houston, Texas. A top high school baseball player, he rejected early offers to turn professional. After one year at a junior college, Clemens accepted a scholarship from the University of Texas. In two years at Texas he compiled a win-loss record of 25-7, was twice named an All-American, and won the deciding game of the 1983 College World Series. After that triumph Clemens was drafted and signed by the Boston Red Sox of the American League (AL). Although he had an overpowering fastball, he pitched erratically as a rookie in 1984 and early the following season was sidelined by a shoulder injury. Fully recovered in 1986, Clemens posted an outstanding 24-4 record. He won 14 straight games at one point and also struck out 20 batters in a single game, a major league record. His performance earned him the Cy Young Award and the league's most valuable player (MVP) award. Clemens won the Cy Young Award again the following year with a record of 20-9, becoming only the fourth pitcher in history to win the award in successive seasons. From that time on, Clemens was a consistent star, despite an explosive temper that sometimes antagonized fans and teammates. He won a third Cy Young Award in 1991, leading the league in earned run average (2.62), strikeouts (241), shutouts (4), and innings pitched (271.1). In 1992 he became the first pitcher to lead the AL in earned run average for three consecutive seasons (1990-1992). Clemens again led the AL with 257 strikeouts in 1996. Clemens signed as a free agent with the Toronto Blue Jays before the start of the 1997 season. He then achieved what is known as the triple crown of pitching, leading the league in wins (21), strikeouts (292), and earned run average (2.05). Clemens earned a fourth Cy Young Award for his performance. In 1998 he had another triple crown season, winning 20 games, amassing 271 strikeouts, and posting an earned run average of 2.65. Clemens collected his fifth Cy Young award, breaking the record of four held by Greg Maddux. Before the start of the 1999 season Clemens was traded to the New York Yankees. There he helped the Yankees to World Series titles in 1999 and 2000. In 2001 he finished 20-3 with a 3.51 earned run average and was voted the Cy Young Award for a record sixth time. In mid-2003 Clemens achieved two career milestones in the same game when he won his 300th game and struck out his 4,000th batter in a victory over the St. Louis Cardinals. After announcing his retirement at the end of the 2003 season, Clemens changed his mind and signed a one-year contract in 2004 to pitch for the Houston Astros. He posted an 18-4 record with a 2.98 earned run average and helped lead the Astros to within one game of the World Series. For his performance the 42-year-old Clemens earned his seventh Cy Young Award, extending his record total and making him the oldest pitcher to win the award. He returned to the Astros in 2005 and played for the team again in 2006 after coming out of retirement for a third time. Several teams, including the Astros, sought to sign Clemens at the start of the 2007 season; in May he signed with the Yankees. In December 2007 a special report on the use of performance-enhancing drugs in baseball, prepared for major league baseball by former U.S. senator George Mitchell, identified Clemens as a steroid user. According to the report, Clemens first began using steroids in 1998 as a member of the Blue Jays. After being traded to the Yankees in 1999, he resumed taking steroids in 2000 and again in 2001, according to the report. The Mitchell report's findings were based largely on the sworn testimony of a trainer who worked for the Blue Jays and was then hired by the Yankees as an assistant strength and conditioning coach. The trainer testified that he personally injected Clemens with steroids and also with human growth hormone. Clemens denied using performance-enhancing drugs. It was unclear if the reports of this drug use, which was explicitly forbidden by an official major league policy in 1991, would impact Clemens's chances of being elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.