Baseball Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente is remembered for his natural athletic abilities, especially in baseball. Born to a poor family in Puerto Rico, Clemente worked tirelessly until he reached the major leagues. Also known for his philanthropic manner, Clemente was devoted to helping those less fortunate than him. He eventually lost his life delivering aid to earthquake victims.
Boyhood
Roberto Clemente Walker was born in 1934 in Barrio San Anton, Carolina, Puerto Rico. His father worked in sugar cane fields. Roberto and his older siblings were raised in a house made of wood and concrete. Clemente's parents instilled discipline and religion in their children.
At a young age, Clemente discovered baseball. But, being very poor, he didn't own a bat or a ball. Clemente and his friends played baseball with tin cans and tree branches.
Young Athlete
One day, while playing ball with a crushed can, Clemente was discovered by Roberto Marin. Marin worked in a local rice company. He was scouting young men to play on a company softball team. Clemente, who was a high school student at the time, was recruited for the team. Clemente played shortstop for the softball team for two years before he joined the Ferdinand Juncos, a team in the Puerto Rican Amateur Baseball league, according to the Hispanic Culture Online website. Clemente was 16.
Professional Baseball
At age 18, the Santurce Crabbers, a baseball team in the Puerto Rican Professional Baseball League, signed Clemente. He earned $40 a week. Clemente hadn't yet graduated from high school. A month after signing with the Crabbers, he was noticed by Al Campanis, a scout with the Brooklyn Dodgers. More than a year later, the Dodgers drafted the young athlete and assigned him to their minor league team, the Montreal Royals. The next year, Clemente was selected first in the draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates, where he played right field for the rest of his 18-year major league career. In the off seasons, Clemente returned to Puerto Rico to play baseball and manage Puerto Rican baseball teams.
Legacy
Clemente played in two World Series and was named Most Valuable Player in one of those championships. He played in 12 All-Star Games and earned 12 Gold Glove Awards. He won four National League batting championships and amassed 3,000 hits in his career, according to Biography.com
Some people remember Clemente most fondly for his charity work. The final example of his regular charity work came in 1972, when an earthquake hit Managua, Nicaragua. Clemente worked to send relief to the victims of the quake. When he found out that the packages weren't reaching their intended recipients, Clemente decided to deliver the aid personally. On New Year's Eve, he boarded a plane to the stricken country. The plane crashed into the Atlantic Ocean; Clemente was killed and his body was never found.
In a special election, Clemente was posthumously named into Baseball's Hall of Fame in 1973. He was the first Latin American to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
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