Roberto Clemente left a legacy in professional baseball. Over his 18-year career, he captured the coveted Gold Glove Award 12 times. Clemente came to represent an iconic presence of the Latin heritage in the sport. He was the first Latin American baseball player admitted to the Baseball Hall of Fame. In addition to his baseball prowess, Clemente was well known for his humanitarian and relief work.
Birth and Early Career
Roberto Clemente was born August 18, 1934 in Puerto Rico. He starred as a youth in softball for the Sello Rojo team and then moved to baseball in Carolina, Puerto Rico, playing as a professional for the Santurce Crabbers. Based on his impressive play in the Puerto Rican Professional Baseball League, scouts from the Brooklyn Dodgers signed the young Clemente. He entered the farm system on the Dodgers' triple-A team and then, in 1953, moved to the Montreal Royals. In 1954, Clemente was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the rookie draft, joining the organization in which he would stay until his death more than a decade later.
The Majors
The official Pittsburgh Pirates game register lists Clemente's first game as April 1955, ironically in a contest against the Brooklyn Dodgers. He continued to play in Puerto Rico in the off-seasons and remained a national hero there. Despite injuries during the first years of professional play in the United States, including an auto accident, and time away from the game for military service in the reserves, Clemente was able to maintain a respectable .300 batting average. The right fielder was selected as a starter for the Major League All-Star game in 1961 and hit the winning home run in the game.
Right-Field Play
Despite additional injuries, including one incurred while managing a team in the Puerto Rican leagues, Clemente's play earned him a Gold Glove Award in every season from 1961 onward. Clemente also recorded the most hits in the National League during the 1961, 1964, 1965 and 1967 seasons. He was a member of the National League champion team in 1970 and 1971, helping the Pirates win the World Series in 1971. Clemente's feats during that Series included batting over .400 and smacking a game-winning home run. At the end of his last season of play, his record stood at exactly 3,000 hits.
Death & Career Legacy
Clemente died on December 31, 1972, while traveling to Nicaragua in a plane loaded with relief supplies for victims of that country's recent earthquake. The National Baseball Hall of Fame assesses Clemente as having a "precise and powerful arm" and making "brilliant" plays as an outfielder. Clemente was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973, one of six entering the Hall that year.
References
- Bio: Roberto Clemente Biography
- Gale Cengage Learning: Hispanic Heritage: Roberto Clemente
- ESPN Classic: SportsCentury Biography: Clemente Quietly Grew in Stature
- National Baseball Hall of Fame: Hall of Famers: Clemente, Roberto
- MLB: Hall of Fame: 1973 Inductees
- Smithsonian Education: Spotlight: Biography: Athletes
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