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Red Sox: What if Roger Clemens never left in free agency?

By Charlie Smith

Houston Astros former players Jeff Bagwell (left) and Roger Clemens (right) throw out a ceremonial first pitch before a game against the Kansas City Royals at Minute Maid Park.
Houston Astros former players Jeff Bagwell (left) and Roger Clemens (right) throw out a ceremonial first pitch before a game against the Kansas City Royals at Minute Maid Park. /
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What if the Boston Red Sox never let Roger Clemens leave in free agency? Could the Sox have been the power house to beat in the 90’s?

HOF 1st baseman Jeff Bagwell throwing out ceremonial first pitch
Houston Astros former players Jeff Bagwell (left) and Roger Clemens (right) throw out a ceremonial first pitch before a game against the Kansas City Royals at Minute Maid Park. /

There’s no question that Roger Clemens was one of the most dominant pitchers in his era. The Rocket is already a member of the Red Sox Hall of Fame and could one day wind up in Cooperstown.

After being taken 19th overall by the Red Sox in the 1983 MLB Draft, no player came close to impacting their team as much as Clemens did. For the first 13 years of his Major League career, he led the Red Sox in almost every major pitching category. He won the first three of his seven Cy Young Awards as a member of the Sox.

Just how good was Clemens? We’ll look at his numbers and evaluate just how important his value was to the Sox in the mid 90’s. How special would it have been to see the same pitcher pitch for the same ball club spanning 24 seasons? Were there benefits to leaving Boston to chase a title? In the end we’ll be looking at a plethora of statistics and relevant history to see if the Sox were smart for letting him walk or silly for not signing him long term and for his career.

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