# Roberto Clemente Roberto Clemente was a 12-time Gold Glove right fielder and two-time World Series champion with the Pittsburgh Pirates who is considered the greatest Latino player in baseball history. He accumulated exactly 3,000 career hits before dying in a plane crash on December 31, 1972 while delivering humanitarian aid to earthquake victims in Nicaragua. MLB waived the customary five-year waiting period and inducted him into the Hall of Fame months after his death. ## Quick Facts - **Born:** August 18, 1934 - **Birthplace:** Carolina, Puerto Rico - **Nationality:** Puerto Rican - **Occupation:** Baseball - **Category:** Athletes - **Also Known As:** The Great One, Arriba ## Early life Clemente was born on August 18, 1934, in Barrio San Antón in Carolina, Puerto Rico, to Luisa Walker and Melchor Clemente. He was the youngest of seven siblings (three were from his mother's previous marriage). During Clemente's childhood, his father worked as a foreman for sugar cane crops located in the municipality in the northeastern part of the island. Because the family's resources were limited, Clemente and his brothers worked alongside his father in the fields, loading and unloading trucks. Clemente had first shown interest in baseball early in life and often played against neighboring barrios. When he was fourteen, he was recruited by Roberto Marín to play softball with the Sello Rojo team after he was seen playing baseball in barrio San Antón. He was with the team two years as a shortstop. Clemente's interest in baseball grew as he would watch games in Puerto Rico's winter baseball league as a kid. San Juan was a popular destination for barnstorming teams and players who wanted to continue playing in the winter months. Watching the games, Clemente was inspired by Monte Irvin, a right fielder for the Negro leagues' Newark Eagles. He attended Julio Vizcarrondo High School in Carolina where he was a track and field star, participating in the high jump and javelin throw. Clemente was considered good enough to represent Puerto Rico at the Olympics. He later stated that throwing the javelin helped in strengthening his arm and with his footwork and release. Despite his all-around athletic skill, however, Clemente decided to focus on baseball and went on to join Puerto Rico's amateur league, playing for the Ferdinand Juncos team, which represented the municipality of Juncos. ## Professional career Puerto Rican baseball (1952–1954) Clemente's professional career began at age 18 when he accepted a contract from Pedrín Zorrilla with Cangrejeros de Santurce ("Crabbers"), a winter league team and franchise of the Puerto Rican Professional Baseball League (LBPPR). Clemente signed with the team on October 9, 1952. He was a bench player during his first season but was promoted to the Cangrejeros' starting lineup the following season. During this season he hit .288 as the team's leadoff hitter. While Clemente was playing in the Puerto Rican League, the Brooklyn Dodgers offered him a contract of $15,000 – $10,000 bonus and $5,000 league minimum salary. Clemente signed with them on February 19, 1954. Minor league baseball (1954) At the time of Clemente's signing, the bonus rule implemented by MLB was still in effect. The rule stipulated that when a major league team signed a player to a contract with a signing bonus in excess of $4,000 ($58,000 today), the team was required to keep that player on their 25-man active roster for two full seasons and failure to comply with the rule would result in the team losing the rights to that player's contract, and the player would then be exposed to the waiver wire. As Clemente's bonus was larger than $4,000, he was considered a bonus baby. However, the Dodgers decided against benching him for two years in the majors and decided to place him with the Montreal Royals, their International League Triple-A affiliate. While it is often believed that the Dodgers instructed manager Max Macon to use Clemente sparingly to prevent him from being drafted under the Rule 5 Draft, Macon himself denied it. Box scores also suggest that Macon platooned Clemente the same as he did with other outfielders. Affected early on by both climate and language differences, Clemente received assistance from bilingual teammates such as infielder Chico Fernandez and pitchers Tommy Lasorda and Joe Black. Black was the original target of the Pittsburgh Pirates' scouting trip to Richmond on June 1, 1954. Noticing Clemente in batting practice, Pirates scout Clyde Sukeforth made inquiries and soon learned about Clemente's status as an unprotected bonus baby. Twelve years later, manager Macon acknowledged that "we tried to sneak him through the draft, but it didn't work" but denied being instructed to not play Clemente, stating that the player needed time to develop and was struggling against Triple-A pitching. However, Pittsburgh noticed his raw talents; as Sukeforth recalled years later, "I knew then he'd be our first draft choice. I told Montreal manager Max Macon to take good care of 'our boy' and see that he didn't get hurt." In 87 games with the Royals, Clemente hit .257 with two home runs. The first home run of his North American baseball career came on July 25, 1954; Clemente's extra inning, walk-off home run was hit in his first at-bat after entering the game as a defensive replacement. His only other minor league home run came on September ## Charity work and death Further information: 1972 Puerto Rico DC-7 crash Clemente spent much of his time during the off-season involved in charity work. One of the projects he was most invested in was creating a sports center for disadvantaged youth in Puerto Rico. In 1967, Clemente told reporters, "The biggest thing I want to do is for the youths... for the kids. When I am ready to quit baseball I will have my sports center... to me it will be the most important thing in the world." The center was so important to Clemente that shortly before recording his 3,000th hit, he told his manager Danny Murtaugh that the most important moment of his life would not be the hit, but the creation of the center. The project stalled after his death until his widow, Vera Clemente, attained corporate assistance for the center in the late 1980s. Now, many professional Puerto Rican players have trained at the center. Clemente visited Managua, the capital city of Nicaragua, in late 1972, while managing the Puerto Rico national baseball team at the 1972 Amateur World Series. When Managua was affected by a massive earthquake three weeks later, on December 23, 1972, Clemente immediately set to work arranging emergency relief flights. He soon learned, however, that the aid packages on the first three flights had been diverted by corrupt officials of the Somoza government, never reaching victims of the quake. He decided to accompany the fourth relief flight, hoping that his presence would ensure that the aid would be delivered to the survivors. The airplane which he chartered for the New Year's Eve flight, a Douglas DC-7 cargo plane, had a history of mechanical problems and it also had an insufficient number of flight personnel (the flight was missing a flight engineer and a copilot), and it was also overloaded by 4,200 pounds (1,900 kg). It crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Isla Verde, Puerto Rico immediately after takeoff on December 31, 1972, due to engine failure. A search and rescue effort was immediately launched, led by the USCGC Sagebrush. A few days after the crash, the body of the pilot and part of the fuselage of the plane were found. An empty flight case which apparently belonged to Clemente was the only personal item of his which was recovered from the plane. Clemente's teammate and close friend Manny Sanguillén was the only member of the Pirates who did not attend Roberto's memorial service. Instead, the Pirates catcher chose to dive into the waters where Clemente's plane had crashed in an effort to find his teammate. The bodies of Clemente and three others who were also on the four-engine plane were never recovered. Montreal Expos pitcher Tom Walker, then playing winter league ball in Puerto Rico, had helped him load the plane. Because Clemente wanted Walker, who was single, to go and enjoy New Year's Eve, Clemente told him not to join him on the flight. A few hours later, Walker returned to his condo and discovered that the plane carrying Clemente had crashed. Imm ## Career overall At the time of his death, Clemente had established several records with the Pirates, including most triples in a single game (three) and hits in two consecutive games (ten). He won 12 Gold Glove Awards and shares the record of most won among outfielders with Willie Mays. Clemente was an All-Star for 13 seasons, selected to 15 All-Star Games. He won the NL MVP Award in 1966, and was named NL Player of the Month Award three times (May 1960, May 1967, July 1969). Clemente led the Pirates to two World Series titles, being named World Series MVP in 1971. Clemente had two three-home run games in his career, as well as eight five-hit games in MLB. CategoryGBAABRH2B3BHRRBISBCSBBSOOBPSLGOPSEAPOFLD%References"}]],"parts":[{"template":{"target":{"wt":"Abbr","href":"./Template:Abbr"},"params":{"1":{"wt":"Ref."},"2":{"wt":"References"}},"i":0}}]}' id="mwAnA">Ref. Total2,433.3179,4541,4163,0004401662401,30583466211,230.359.475.8341422694,796.972 ## Honors and legacy Since the high point of his playing career, Clemente has been widely referred to as "The Great One", a nickname coined by sportscaster Bob Prince. In 1973, President Richard Nixon posthumously honored Clemente with the Presidential Citizens Medal. That same day, Congress honored Clemente with the Congressional Gold Medal. In 2003, President George W. Bush awarded Clemente the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Clemente is an iconic sports figure in Puerto Rico, widely revered by his people. The Coliseo Roberto Clemente, opened in 1973 in San Juan, and Estadio Roberto Clemente, opened in 2000 in Carolina, are both named in his honor. In 2012, the Puerto Rico Professional Baseball League (LBPPR) was renamed Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente, the number 21 was also permanently retired. In 2022, the government of Puerto Rico granted Clemente the formal recognition of prócer (national hero). Roberto Clemente's number 21 was retired by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1973. On March 20, 1973, the Baseball Writers' Association of America held a special election for the Baseball Hall of Fame. They voted to waive the waiting period for Clemente, due to the circumstances of his death, and posthumously elected him for induction into the Hall of Fame, giving him 393 out of 424 available votes, for 92.7% of the votes. In 2003, he was inducted into the United States Marine Corps Sports Hall of Fame. He was named to Major League Baseball's Latino Legends Team in 2005. In 2007, Clemente was selected for the All Time Rawlings Gold Glove Team for the 50th anniversary of the creation of the Gold Glove Award. Clemente was elected to the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum Hall of Fame in 2010, and the Caribbean Baseball Hall of Fame in 2015. Clemente's number 21 was retired by the Pittsburgh Pirates on April 6, 1973, a few weeks after his election to the Hall of Fame. There have been calls for MLB to retire number 21 league-wide, as was done with Jackie Robinson's number 42 in 1997, but the sentiment has been opposed by the Robinson family. In 1973, Major League Baseball renamed the Commissioner's Award to the Roberto Clemente Award. It has been awarded every year to a player with outstanding baseball playing skills who is personally involved in community work. A trophy and a donation check for a charity of the player's choice are presented annually at the World Series. In 2002, 30 years after his death, Major League Baseball proclaimed September 15 as "Roberto Clemente Day". In 1974, the Harlem River State Park in Morris Heights, The Bronx, New York City, was renamed Roberto Clemente State Park in his honor. In 2013, forty years after his election to the Hall of Fame, a statue was unveiled at the park. It was the first statue honoring a Puerto Rican to be unveiled in New York City. Near the old Forbes Field where Clemente began his major league career, the city of Pittsburgh renamed a street in his honor. Additionally, the city named Roberto Clemente Memorial Park in ## Timeline ### 1934 — Born in Carolina Roberto Enrique Clemente Walker born in Carolina, Puerto Rico. ### 1934 — Clemente was born on August 18, 1934, in Barrio San Antón in Carolina, Puerto... Clemente was born on August 18, 1934, in Barrio San Antón in Carolina, Puerto Rico, to Luisa Walker and Melchor Clemente ### 1952 — Puerto Rican baseball (1952–1954) Clemente's professional career began at age... Puerto Rican baseball (1952–1954) Clemente's professional career began at age 18 when he accepted a contract from Pedrín Zorrilla with Cangrejeros de Santurce ("Crabbers"), a winter league team and franchise of the Puerto Rican Professional Baseball League (LBPPR) ### 1954 — The first home run of his North American baseball career came on July 25, 1954;... The first home run of his North American baseball career came on July 25, 1954; Clemente's extra inning, walk-off home run was hit in his first at-bat after entering the game as a defensive replacement ### 1955 — MLB Debut Makes his MLB debut for the Pittsburgh Pirates. ### 1960 — World Series Champion Wins the World Series with the Pirates, hitting .310 in the Series. ### 1960 — He won the NL MVP Award in 1966, and was named NL Player of the Month Award... He won the NL MVP Award in 1966, and was named NL Player of the Month Award three times (May 1960, May 1967, July 1969) ### 1966 — NL MVP Wins the National League MVP award. ### 1967 — In 1967, Clemente told reporters, "The biggest thing I want to do is for the... In 1967, Clemente told reporters, "The biggest thing I want to do is for the youths.. ### 1971 — World Series MVP Wins the World Series MVP, hitting .414 with two home runs as the Pirates beat the Orioles. ### 1971 — Clemente led the Pirates to two World Series titles, being named World Series... Clemente led the Pirates to two World Series titles, being named World Series MVP in 1971 ### 1972 — 3,000th Hit Collects his 3,000th career hit, the last hit of his career. ### 1972 — Death Dies in a plane crash while delivering humanitarian aid to earthquake victims in Nicaragua. He was 38. Inducted into the Hall of Fame the following year. ### 1972 — When Managua was affected by a massive earthquake three weeks later, on... When Managua was affected by a massive earthquake three weeks later, on December 23, 1972, Clemente immediately set to work arranging emergency relief flights ### 1973 — The Coliseo Roberto Clemente, opened in 1973 in San Juan, and Estadio Roberto... The Coliseo Roberto Clemente, opened in 1973 in San Juan, and Estadio Roberto Clemente, opened in 2000 in Carolina, are both named in his honor --- Source: https://peoplebio.info/p/roberto-clemente