Dec 7 (Reuters) – Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens were once again overlooked for the National Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday while former slugging infielder Jeff Kent was elected to Cooperstown for the Class of 2026.
All-time home run leader Bonds and seven-times Cy Young Award winning pitcher Clemens have both faced allegations of performance-enhancing drug use though neither player tested positive during their careers.
Bonds, who has long denied knowingly using performance-enhancing drugs, and Clemens, who has maintained he never used them, were among those listed on the Contemporary Baseball Era player ballot, which focuses on players whose primary contributions to the game came since 1980.
Candidates needed to receive votes on 75% of the ballots cast by the 16-member committee to become part of the 2026 Hall of Fame Class.
Bonds and Clemens each received less than five votes and, by rule, are not eligible for consideration for the next Contemporary Baseball Era Committee ballot in 2028, the Hall of Fame said in a press release.
Kent, who had 377 home runs, including a record 351 while playing second base, was named on 14 of 16 ballots and was the only candidate to reach the 75% threshold necessary for election.
A five-time All Star, Kent spent 17 seasons in Major League Baseball with six different teams and was named the 2000 National League Most Valuable Player.
The 57-year-old will be joined in the Class of 2026 by any electees who emerge from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America voting, which will be announced on January 20.
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
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