Bonds, Clemens fail to enter Baseball Hall of Fame, yet see growing chance

Bonds, Clemens fail to enter Baseball Hall of Fame, yet see growing chance. January. 20, 2017 07:18. by Heon-Jae Lee uni@donga.com. Barry Bonds (53), the former baseball player who has the most home runs (762) in the history of the U.S. Major League Baseball, failed to become a Hall of Famer because of using “banned substances.” The same holds true with Roger Clemens (55), dubbed “Rocket Man,” who had a total of 354 wins in the Major League.

The two sportsmen failed again in a vote to enter the Hall of Fame, whose outcome was announced on Thursday. If a player is to enter the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, he has to garner more than 75 percent of the vote by member reporters of the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA). Bonds and Clemens garnered 53.8 percent and 54.1 percent of the vote, respectively on the day. Three people namely Jeff Bagwell (86.2 percent), a slugger of the past, Ivan Rodriguez (76.0 percent), the famed catcher, and Tim Raines (86.0 percent), who was considered the best first hitter, became new joiners of the Baseball Hall of Fame this year.

However, analysts say that the two baseball players will also likely become Hall of Famers sooner than later, as people’s memory about their doping becomes increasingly blurry. They had their approval rates hovering at the 30-percent level until 2015, but saw the rate exceed 40 percent for the first time in 2016, before surpassing 50 percent this year. The candidates for the Hall of Fame maintain the eligibility for 10 years after first gaining the privilege, and only five years has passed for the duo. They still have five more chances remaining.

Bagwell and Rodriguez, who became Hall of Famers on the day, are not free from controversy over the alleged use of banned substances either. Hence, the cause that has blocked Bonds and Clemens from making the Hall of Famers has effectively disappeared. “The fact that the number of voters (baseball writers) who were strict about players’ use of banned substances, is decreasing is a positive development for the two,” CBS Sports satirically reported.