Roberto Clemente
Roberto Clemente | |
---|---|
File:200-roberto.jpg | |
Right fielder | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
debut | |
April 17, 1955, for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |
Last appearance | |
October 3, 1972, for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |
Career statistics | |
Batting average | .317 |
Hits | 3,000 |
Home runs | 240 |
Teams | |
Career highlights and awards | |
| |
[[{{{hoflink}}}|Member of the {{{hoftype}}}]] | |
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Induction | 1973 |
Vote | 92.7% (first ballot) |
Roberto Clemente Walker .Major League Baseball right fielder. He was born in Carolina, Puerto Rico, the youngest of seven children. On November 14, 1964, he married Vera Zabala at San Fernando Church in Carolina. The couple had three children: Roberto Jr., Luis Roberto and Enrique Roberto. He began his professional career playing with the Santurce Crabbers in the Puerto Rican Professional Baseball League (LBPPR). While he was playing in Puerto Rico, the Brooklyn Dodgers offered him a contract to play with the Montreal Royals. Clemente accepted the offer and was active with the team until he was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the Major League Baseball draft that took place on November 22, 1954.
Clemente played eighteen seasons in Major League Baseball from 1955 to 1972, all with Pittsburgh. He was awarded the National League’s Most Valuable Player Award in 1966. During the course of his career, Clemente was selected to participate in the league's All Star Game on twelve occasions. He won twelve Gold Glove Awards and led the league in batting average four different seasons. He was involved in charity work both in Puerto Rico and other Latin American countries, often delivering baseball equipment and food to them. He died in an aviation accident on December 31, 1972, while en route to deliver aid to earthquake victims in Nicaragua. His body was never recovered. He was elected to the Hall of Fame posthumously in 1973, thus becoming the first Latin American to be selected and the only current Hall of Famer for whom the mandatory five year waiting period was waived since the wait was instituted in 1954. Clemente is also the first Latino to win a World Series as a starting player (1960), win a league MVP award (1966) and win a World Series MVP award (1971).
Early life
Roberto was born in Carolina, Puerto Rico to Melchor Clemente and Luisa Walker. He was the youngest of seven siblings, having five brothers and one sister. During his childhood, Don Melchor worked as foreman of the sugar crops located in the municipality.[1] The family’s resources were limited and Roberto had to work to earn money; this work included delivering milk cans to the family’s neighbors. Clemente demonstrated interest in baseball early in his life and would often play against neighboring barrios. He studied in Vizcarondo High School, a public school located in Carolina. During his first year in high school, he was recruited by Roberto Marin to play softball with the Sello Rojo team; Marin had taken interest in Clemente when he saw him playing baseball in Barrio San Anton.[2] He was with the team two years, playing shortstop. Clemente joined Puerto Rico’s amateur league when he was sixteen years old; while there, he played for the Ferdinand Juncos team, which represented the municipality of Juncos.[3]
Pre-Major League career
Clemente’s professional career began when Pedrín Zorilla offered him a contract with the Santurce Crabbers of the LBBPR.[4] He was a bench player during his first campaign, but was promoted to the team’s starting lineup the following season. During this season he hit .288 as the team’s leadoff hitter. While Clemente was playing in the LBBPR, the Brooklyn Dodgers offered him a contract with the team’s Triple-A subsidiary.[5] He then moved to Montreal to play with the Montreal Royals. The climate and language differences affected Clemente early on, but he received the assistance of his teammate Joe Black, who was able to speak Spanish. In 1954, Clyde Sukeforth, a scout for the Pittsburgh Pirates, noticed that Clemente was being used as a bench player for the team and discussed the possibility of drafting Clemente to the Pirates with the team’s manager Max Macon.[6] The Pirates selected Clemente as the first selection of the rookie draft that took place on November 22, 1954 often referred to as the Rule 5 draft.
Pittsburgh Pirates
Clemente debuted with the Pittsburgh Pirates on April 17, 1955 in the first game of a double header against the Brooklyn Dodgers.[7] At the beginning of his time with the Pirates, he experienced frustration because of racial tension between himself, the local media, and even some of his teammates.[8][9] Clemente responded to this by stating, “I don’t believe in color”.[10] He noted that, during his upbringing, he was taught to never discriminate against someone based on ethnicity.[10]
During the middle of the season, Clemente was involved in a car accident; this caused him to miss several games with an injury in his lower back.[11] He finished his rookie season with an average of .255, despite confronting trouble hitting certain types of pitches.[12] His defensive skills, however, were highlighted during this season.[13]
During the off season, Clemente played with the Santurce Crabbers in the Puerto Rican baseball winter league, where he was already considered a star.[14]
He became the only player to date to hit a walk-off inside-the-park grand slam in Major League Baseball history on July 25, 1956, connecting off the Chicago Cubs' Jim Brosnan in the bottom of the ninth inning in a 9–8 Pirates victory at Forbes Field.[15]
The 1960s
The Pirates experienced several difficult seasons through the 1950s, although they did manage their first winning season since 1948 in 1958. During the winter season of 1958–59, Clemente didn't play winter baseball in Puerto Rico; instead, he served in the United States Marine Corps Reserves. He spent six months in his military commitment at Parris Island, South Carolina and Camp LeJeune in North Carolina. In Camp LeJeune, he served as an infantryman. The rigorous training program helped Clemente physically. He added strength by gaining ten pounds and said his back troubles had disappeared.
He remained in the reserves until September 1964.[16][17][18] Early in the 1960 season, Clemente led the league, batting an average of .353 and scoring Runs Batted In (RBIs) in twenty-five out of twenty-seven games.[19] Roberto's batting average stayed above the .300 mark throughout the course of the campaign. In August, he was inactive for five games as a result of an injury on his chin; he received this injury when his head impacted a concrete wall while he was trying to catch a hard hit line drive that reached the park's outer wall. Following this accident, he was transported to a local hospital, where the doctors stitched his chin; this prohibited him from playing until the injury was healed.[20] The Pirates compiled a 95–59 record during the regular season, winning the National League pennant, and defeated the New York Yankees in a seven-game World Series. Clemente batted .310 in the series, hitting safely at least once in every game.[21] His .314 batting average, 16 home runs, and defense during the course of the season earned him his first participation in the All-Star game, where he served as a reserve player.
During the 1961 spring training, Clemente tried to modify his batting technique by using a heavier bat in order to slow the speed of his swing, following advice from Pirates' batting coach George Sisler.[22] During the 1961 season, Clemente was selected as the starting right fielder for the National League in the All-Star game. In this game, he batted a triple on his first at-bat and scored the team's first run. With the American League ahead 4–3 in the tenth inning, Clemente hit a double that gave the National League a decisive 5–4 win.[23]
Following the season, he traveled to Puerto Rico along with Orlando Cepeda, who was a native of Ponce. When both players arrived, they were received by 18,000 people, who were celebrating that this was the first season in which both leagues in Major League Baseball were led in batting average by Puerto Rican players.[24] On November 14, 1964, Clemente married Vera Zabala. The ceremony took place in the church of San Fernando in Carolina and was attended by thousands of fanatics.[25] During this time, he was also involved in managing the Senadores de San Juan in the LBPPR, as well as playing with the team during the Major League offseason. During the course of the winter league, Clemente was injured and only participated as a pinch hitter in the league's All-Star game. He experienced a complication on his injury during the course of this game and underwent surgery shortly after being carried off of the playing field.[26]
This condition limited his role with the Pirates in the first half of the 1965 season, during which he batted an average of .257. He was inactive for several games during this stage of the campaign before being fully active; when he returned to the starting lineup, he hit in thirty-three out of thirty-four games and his average improved to .340.[27] Roberto and Vera had their first son on August 17, 1965, when Roberto Clemente, Jr. was born; he was the first of three children, along with Luis Roberto and Enrique Roberto.[28] During the 1960s, he batted over .300 in every year except 1968, when he hit .291.[29] He was selected to every All-Star game, and he was given a Gold Glove every season from 1961 onwards.[29] He led the National League in batting average four times (1961, 1964, 1965, and 1967), led the National League in hits twice (1964 and 1967), and won the Most Valuable Player award in the 1966 season, when he hit .317 while setting career highs in home runs (29) and RBI (119).[29] In 1967, he registered a career high .357 average and hit twenty-three home runs and 110 runs batted in.[29]
The 1970s
The 1970 season was the last one that the Pittsburgh Pirates played in Forbes Field before moving to Three Rivers Stadium; for Clemente, abandoning this stadium was an emotional situation. The Pirates' final game at Forbes Field took place on June 28, 1970. That day, Clemente noted that it was hard to play in a different field, saying, "I spent half my life there".[30] The night of July 24, 1970 was declared "Roberto Clemente Night"; on this day,[31] several Puerto Rican fans traveled to Three Rivers Stadium and cheered Clemente while wearing traditional Puerto Rican indumentary. A ceremony to honor Clemente took place, during which he received a scroll with 300,000 signatures compiled in Puerto Rico, and several thousands of dollars were donated to charity work following Clemente's request.[32][33]
During the 1970 campaign, Clemente compiled an average of .352; the Pirates won the National League East but were subsequently eliminated by the Cincinnati Reds. In the offseason, Clemente experienced some tense situations while he was working as manager of the Senators and when his father, Melchor Clemente, experienced medical problems and was subjected to a surgery.[34]
In the 1971 season, the Pirates won the National League and faced the Baltimore Orioles in the World Series. Baltimore had won 100 games and swept the American League Championship Series, both for the third consecutive year, and were the defending World Series champions. The Orioles won the first two games in the series, but Pittsburgh won the championship in seven games. This marked the second occasion that Clemente had won a World Series with the Pirates. Over the course of the series, Clemente batted a .414 average (12 hits in 29 at-bats), performed well defensively, and hit a solo home run in the deciding 2–1 seventh game victory.[35] Following the conclusion of the season, he received the World Series Most Valuable Player award. Struggling with injuries, Clemente only managed to appear in 102 games in 1972, but he still hit .312 for his final .300 season.[35] On September 30, in a game at Three Rivers Stadium, he hit a double off Jon Matlack of the New York Mets for his 3,000th hit.[36] It was the last at-bat of his career during a regular season, though he did play in the 1972 NLCS playoffs against the Cincinnati Reds.[35] In the playoffs, he batted .235 as he went 4 for 17. His last game ever was at Cincinnati's Riverfront Stadium in the fifth game of the playoff series.
Career statistics
Offensive
G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS |
2433 | 9454 | 1416 | 3000 | 440 | 166 | 240 | 1305 | 83 | 621 | 1230 | .317 | .359 | .475 | .834 |
Death in airplane accident
Clemente spent much of his time during the off-season involved in charity work. When Managua, the capital city of Nicaragua, was affected by a massive earthquake on December 23, 1972, Clemente (who had been visiting Managua three weeks before the quake) immediately set to work arranging emergency relief flights.[37] 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.[38]
Clemente decided to accompany the fourth relief flight, hoping that his presence would ensure that the aid would be delivered to the survivors.[39] The airplane he chartered for a New Year's Eve flight, a Douglas DC-7,[40][41] had a history of mechanical problems and sub-par flight personnel, and it was overloaded by 5,000 pounds. It crashed into the ocean off the coast of Isla Verde, Puerto Rico immediately after takeoff on December 31, 1972.[42] 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 apparently belonging to Clemente was the only personal item recovered from the plane. Clemente's teammate and close friend Manny Sanguillen was the only member of the Pirates not to attend Roberto's funeral. The catcher chose instead to dive into the waters where Clemente's plane had crashed in an effort to find his teammate. Clemente's body was never recovered.[42]
At the time of his death, Clemente had established several records within the Pittsburgh Pirates, including possessing the record for hitting the most triples in a single game with three and the record for most hits in two consecutive games with ten,[43] as well as achieving other accomplishments that were unparalleled at that time. These include tying the record for most Gold Glove Awards won among outfielders with twelve, which he shares with Willie Mays.[44] He also became the only player to have ever hit a walk-off inside-the-park grand slam.[45] He accomplished this historic feat on July 25, 1956 in a 9–8 Pittsburgh win against the Chicago Cubs, at Forbes Field. In addition, he was one of four players to have ten or more Gold Gloves and a lifetime batting average of over .300.
Posthumous honors
On March 20, 1973, the Baseball Writers Association of America held a special election for the Baseball Hall of Fame.[46] 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 of the 420 available votes, or 92% of the vote.[46] Clemente's Hall of Fame plaque had originally read "Roberto Walker Clemente". In 2000, the plaque was recast to express his name in the proper Hispanic format, "Roberto Clemente Walker".[47]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/43/PresMedalFreedom.jpg/80px-PresMedalFreedom.jpg)
MLB presents the Roberto Clemente Award every year to the player who best follows Clemente's example with humanitarian work.[48] Clemente was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 1973 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2002.[49] In 2003, he was inducted into the United States Marine Corps Sports Hall of Fame.[18] On October 26, 2005, Clemente was named a member of Major League Baseball's Latino Legends Team.[50] At the Major League Baseball All-Star game in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on July 11, 2006, many of the players on both teams wore yellow wristbands with the initials "RCW" in honor of Clemente. At the end of the fourth inning, Clemente was awarded the Commissioner's Historical Achievement Award by the Commissioner of Baseball; the award was accepted by his widow.[51] During the award presentation, the Commissioner of Baseball Bud Selig stated that "Roberto was a hero in every sense of the word".[51]
PNC Park, the home ballpark of the Pirates which opened in 2001, includes a right field wall 21 feet (6.4 m) high, in reference to Clemente's uniform number and his normal fielding position during his years with the Pirates.[52]
Puerto Rico has honored Clemente's memory by naming the coliseum in San Juan the Roberto Clemente Coliseum; two baseball parks are in Carolina, the professional one , Roberto Clemente Stadium, and the Double-A. There is also the Escuela de los Deportes (School of Sports) that has the Double-A baseball park and the number 21 can't be used in any of the baseball teams there.. Today, this sports complex is called Ciudad Deportiva Roberto Clemente.[53] In Pittsburgh, the 6th Street Bridge was renamed in his memory to the Roberto Clemente Bridge, and the Pirates retired his number 21 at the start of the 1973 season.[54] The City of Pittsburgh maintains Roberto Clemente Memorial Park along North Shore Drive in the city's North Side. In 2007, the Roberto Clemente Museum opened in the Lawrenceville section of Pittsburgh.[55] Some schools, such as Roberto Clemente High School in Chicago, Illinois and the Roberto Clemente Charter School in Allentown, Pennsylvania, were named in Clemente's honor.[56] Clemente was inducted into the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum Hall of Fame.
In 1973, New York State opened Roberto Clemente State Park in The Bronx.
On August 17, 1984, the day before what would have been his 50th birthday, the United States Postal Service issued a postage stamp honoring Clemente.[57] Designed by Juan Lopez-Bonilla, the spare clean design shows Clemente wearing his Pirates cap, with the Puerto Rican flag in the background. In 1999, he ranked Number 20 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, the highest-ranking Latino player on the list.[58] Later that year, Clemente was nominated as a finalist for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team.[59]
Some have felt that Clemente deserves a similar honor to Jackie Robinson, and that the #21 should be retired by all teams much like #42 was retired for Robinson in 1997. They feel that Clemente opened the doors of Major League Baseball to Hispanics, just like Robinson did for African-Americans. Number 21 was worn by Sammy Sosa throughout his career as a tribute to his childhood hero.[60]. Jackie Robinson's daughter, however, suggests that Major League Baseball should honor him another way.[61]
Biographies and documentaries
Clemente's life has been the subject of numerous books, articles and documentaries. David Maraniss wrote a book titled Clemente: The Passion and Grace of Baseball's Last Hero, which was published in 2006. Clemente is also the subject of a one-hour biography as part of the Public Broadcasting Service history series American Experience that premiered April 21, 2008.[62] The film is directed by Bernardo Ruiz, narrated by Jimmy Smits and features interviews with Vera Clemente, Orlando Cepeda and George F. Will.[62] The production received an ALMA Award. Richard Rossi, a filmmaker and minister from Pittsburgh, has embarked on a feature dramatic film about Clemente, now in the works in preproduction. [2][3][4]
See also
- Players from Puerto Rico in MLB
- List of famous Puerto Ricans
- Afro-Puerto Ricans
- List of top 500 Major League Baseball home run hitters
- List of Major League Baseball players with 400 doubles
- List of Major League Baseball players with 100 triples
- List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 runs
- List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 RBI
- 3000 hit club
- List of Major League Baseball batting champions
- Major League Baseball hitters with three home runs in one game
- List of Major League Baseball triples champions
References
- ^ Paul Rober Walker (1988). "The way of the Jibaro". Pride of Puerto Rico: The life of Roberto Clemente. United States: Harcourt Brace & Company. p. 3. ISBN 0-15-307557-0.
Roberto's father, Don Melchor Clemente, worked as foreman in the sugar fields.
- ^ Paul Rober Walker (1988). "Where Are You Going, Momen?". Pride of Puerto Rico: The life of Roberto Clemente. United States: Harcourt Brace & Company. p. 20. ISBN 0-15-307557-0.
For the next two years, Roberto played for the Sello Rojo softball team.
- ^ Walker (1988). p. 20.
When he was sixteen, he played for the Ferdinand Juncos team in the Puerto Rican amateur league.
{{cite book}}
: Missing or empty|title=
(help) - ^ Paul Rober Walker (1988). "Tell the Man I Will Sign". Pride of Puerto Rico: The life of Roberto Clemente. United States: Harcourt Brace & Company. p. 25. ISBN 0-15-307557-0.
"Well, Marin," said señor Zorilla, "we can give him $400 bonus and maybe $ 40.00 a week until he learns to wear a uniform."
- ^ Paul Rober Walker (1988). "Wearing the Uniform". Pride of Puerto Rico: The life of Roberto Clemente. United States: Harcourt Brace & Company. p. 33. ISBN 0-15-307557-0.
"Roberto," said Pedrin Zorilla, "I have spoken with Mr. Campanis. The Dodgers would like to sign you to a contract with their Triple-A team in Montreal. They will pay you a signing bonus of $10,000 and a salary of $5,000 for the year"
- ^ Paul Rober Walker (1988). "It's For Your Own Good". Pride of Puerto Rico: The life of Roberto Clemente. United States: Harcourt Brace & Company. p. 41. ISBN 0-15-307557-0.
"I noticed you haven't been playing Clemente much." Sukeforth smiled across the dinner table at Max Macon. The two men had known each other for years. There was no sense in trying to fool each other. "Well, I don't care if you never play him" continued the Pittsburgh scout. "We're going to finish last, and we're going to draft him number one."
- ^ Paul Rober Walker (1988). "I play like Roberto Clemente". Pride of Puerto Rico: The life of Roberto Clemente. United States: Harcourt Brace & Company. ISBN 0-15-307557-0.
It was Sunday, April 17, 1955, and the Pittsburgh Pirates were playing the first game of a double-header against the Brooklyn Dodgers.[...] For Roberto Clemente it was his first time at bat in the major leagues.
- ^ Paul Rober Walker (1988). "I play like Roberto Clemente". Pride of Puerto Rico: The life of Roberto Clemente. United States: Harcourt Brace & Company. ISBN 0-15-307557-0.
Even on his own team, some of the players made fun of him and called him a "nigger." Roberto grew furious at their insults.
- ^ Paul Rober Walker (1988). "I play like Roberto Clemente". Pride of Puerto Rico: The life of Roberto Clemente. United States: Harcourt Brace & Company. ISBN 0-15-307557-0.
There were other insults as well. In the newspapers, the writers called him a "Puerto Rican hot dog." When they quoted the things he said they exaggerated his accent.
- ^ a b Paul Rober Walker (1988). "I play like Roberto Clemente". Pride of Puerto Rico: The life of Roberto Clemente. United States: Harcourt Brace & Company. ISBN 0-15-307557-0.
"I don't believe in color," Roberto said. "I believe in people. I always respect everyone and thanks to God my mother and my father taught me never to hate, never to dislike someone based of their color.
- ^ Paul Rober Walker (1988). "I play like Roberto Clemente". Pride of Puerto Rico: The life of Roberto Clemente. United States: Harcourt Brace & Company. ISBN 0-15-307557-0.
To make matters worse, Roberto had to sit out many games because of pain in his lower back. During the winter, a drunken driver had rammed into his car at sixty miles per hour.
- ^ Paul Rober Walker (1988). "I play like Roberto Clemente". Pride of Puerto Rico: The life of Roberto Clemente. United States: Harcourt Brace & Company. ISBN 0-15-307557-0.
Roberto continued to struggle at the plate throughout his rookie season, finally finishing with a .255 average.
- ^ Paul Rober Walker (1988). "I play like Roberto Clemente". Pride of Puerto Rico: The life of Roberto Clemente. United States: Harcourt Brace & Company. ISBN 0-15-307557-0.
In the outfield, however, he quickly established himself as an outstanding performer.
- ^ Paul Rober Walker (1988). "I play like Roberto Clemente". Pride of Puerto Rico: The life of Roberto Clemente. United States: Harcourt Brace & Company. ISBN 0-15-307557-0.
Once again he was playing for the Santurce Crabbers. In the winter league he was an established star.
- ^ Pittsburgh Pirates 9, Chicago Cubs 8; Wednesday, July 25, 1956 at Forbes Field (box score) – Retrosheet.
- ^ Clemente to Start Six-Month Marine Corps Hitch, October 4,. The Sporting News. September 24, 1958. p. 7.
- ^ Buc Flyhawk Now Marine Rookie. The Sporting News. November 19, 1958. p. 13.
- ^ a b "Marine Corps Sports Hall of Fame: Roberto Clemente". Retrieved 2007-12-17.
- ^ Paul Rober Walker (1988). "Beat 'Em, Bucs!". Pride of Puerto Rico: The life of Roberto Clemente. United States: Harcourt Brace & Company. p. 63. ISBN 0-15-307557-0.
In May, while the Pirates were fighting the San Francisco Giants for first place, Roberto drove in 25 runs in 27 games. By the end of the month he was leading the league with a batting average of .353 and the Pirates were ahead of the Giants by one and a half games.
- ^ Paul Rober Walker (1988). "Beat 'Em, Bucs!". Pride of Puerto Rico: The life of Roberto Clemente. United States: Harcourt Brace & Company. p. 64. ISBN 0-15-307557-0.
Roberto was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance. The doctors stitched up his jaw and he sat out the next five games waiting for it to heal
- ^ Juan Mercado. "Roberto Clemente Un verdadero símbolo latinoamericano". [A] hora.com. Retrieved 2007-12-10.
- ^ Paul Rober Walker (1988). "Beat 'Em, Bucs!". Pride of Puerto Rico: The life of Roberto Clemente. United States: Harcourt Brace & Company. p. 74. ISBN 0-15-307557-0.
Now, in the spring of 1961, he made another improvement. He began using a heavier bat to slow down his swing and make better contact with the ball.
- ^ Paul Rober Walker (1988). "Beat 'Em, Bucs!". Pride of Puerto Rico: The life of Roberto Clemente. United States: Harcourt Brace & Company. p. 77. ISBN 0-15-307557-0.
Then he brought his bat around and smashed a line drive to right field. As Roberto raced for first, Willie Mays rounded third and headed for home. The National League had won by a score of 5–4!
- ^ Paul Rober Walker (1988). "Beat 'Em, Bucs!". Pride of Puerto Rico: The life of Roberto Clemente. United States: Harcourt Brace & Company. pp. 78–79. ISBN 0-15-307557-0.
When the plane landed, Roberto and Cepeda received a hero's welcome. Eighteen thousand people stood cheering on the side of the road as they were driven from the airport to Sixto Escobar Stadium.
- ^ Paul Rober Walker (1988). "It Is My Life". Pride of Puerto Rico: The life of Roberto Clemente. United States: Harcourt Brace & Company. p. 84. ISBN 0-15-307557-0.
Thousands of people filled the plaza in Carolina on November 14, 1964. It was a beautiful sunny day., but they were not there for the sunshine. Inside the church of San Fernando, Roberto Clemente was marrying Vera Zabala.
- ^ Paul Rober Walker (1988). "It Is My Life". Pride of Puerto Rico: The life of Roberto Clemente. United States: Harcourt Brace & Company. p. 85. ISBN 0-15-307557-0.
The injury had not affected his swing, and he smashed a hard line drive to right field. But as he limped to first base, his leg collapsed beneath him. He was rushed to the hospital, and a few days later, the doctors cut open his leg to drain a pool of blood in his thigh.
- ^ Paul Rober Walker (1988). "It Is My Life". Pride of Puerto Rico: The life of Roberto Clemente. United States: Harcourt Brace & Company. p. 88–89. ISBN 0-15-307557-0.
Clemente was back and so were the Pirates. Roberto hit safely in 33 out of 34 games, raising his average all the way up to .340.
- ^ Paul Rober Walker (1988). "MVP". Pride of Puerto Rico: The life of Roberto Clemente. United States: Harcourt Brace & Company. p. 90. ISBN 0-15-307557-0.
On August 17, 1965, while Roberto Sr. was chasing his third batting title, Vera gave birth to Roberto Jr.
- ^ a b c d "ESPN – Roberto Clemente MLB Career Stats – Major League Baseball". ESPN. Retrieved 2007-12-09.
- ^ Paul Rober Walker (1988). "I Don't Have The Words". Pride of Puerto Rico: The life of Roberto Clemente. United States: Harcourt Brace & Company. p. 106. ISBN 0-15-307557-0.
On June 28, 1970, the Pittsburgh Pirates played their last game at Forbes Field. For Roberto it was an emotional moment. "I spent half my life there," he said.
- ^ "Roberto Clemente from the Chronology". BaseballLibrary.com. Retrieved 2009-08-08.
- ^ Paul Rober Walker (1988). "I Don't Have The Words". Pride of Puerto Rico: The life of Roberto Clemente. United States: Harcourt Brace & Company. p. 107. ISBN 0-15-307557-0.
A young Puerto Rican businessman named Juan Jiménez presented Roberto with a scroll containing 300,000 signatures from the people of Puerto Rico.
- ^ Paul Rober Walker (1988). "I Don't Have The Words". Pride of Puerto Rico: The life of Roberto Clemente. United States: Harcourt Brace & Company. p. 108. ISBN 0-15-307557-0.
At Roberto's request, thousands of dollars were donated to help the crippled children at Pittsburgh's Children's Hospital.
- ^ Paul Rober Walker (1988). "I Don't Have The Words". Pride of Puerto Rico: The life of Roberto Clemente. United States: Harcourt Brace & Company. pp. 111–112. ISBN 0-15-307557-0.
That winter, Roberto had other concerns as well. Don Melchor fell seriously ll and had to have surgery.
- ^ a b c Larry Schwartz. "Clemente quietly grew in stature". ESPN. Retrieved 2007-12-09.
- ^ "Roberto Clemente Award". Major League Baseball. Retrieved 2007-12-09.
- ^ "White House Dream Team: Roberto Walker Clemente". White House. Retrieved 2007-12-09.
- ^ "El vuelo solidario y temerario de Clemente". El Nuevo Diario. Retrieved 2007-12-09.
- ^ "Hispanic Heritage: Roberto Clemente". Gale Gengage Learning. Retrieved 2007-12-09.
- ^ [1]
- ^ Bock, Hal (1998-01-04). "Clemente Remains Special to Ex-Mates". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2009-08-08.
{{cite web}}
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ignored (|author=
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- ^ "Pirates Single Game Records". Pittsburgh Pirates. Retrieved 2008-01-09.
- ^ "Gold Glove National League Outfielders". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved 2008-01-09.
- ^ "Roberto Clemente Presente!". leftfield.com. Retrieved 2007-12-16.
- ^ a b "When Clemente earned election to the Hall of Fame". National Baseball Hall of Fame. 2007-02-15. Retrieved 2009-08-10.
- ^ "Roberto Clemente Plaque is Recast to Correct Cultural Inaccuracy; New One Travels to Puerto Rico (November, 2000)". National Hall of Fame and Museum. 2000-09-18. Retrieved 2008-02-03.
- ^ Marc Zarefsku (2007-09-06). "Baseball honors Roberto Clemente". National Baseball Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2007-12-10.
- ^ "Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipient: Roberto Clemente Walker". The Official Site of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Retrieved 2007-12-10.[dead link]
- ^ Jesses Sanchez (2005-10-26). "Latino Legends team announced". Major League Baseball. Retrieved 2007-12-10.
- ^ a b Barry M. Bloom (2006-07-12). "Baseball honors Clemente". Major League Baseball. Retrieved 2007-12-10.
- ^ "PNC Park Overview". Major League Baseball. Retrieved 2008-04-16.
- ^ "Bienvenidos". Ciudad Deportiva Roberto Clemente (official website). Retrieved 2007-12-10.
- ^ Johnna A. (1999-04-08). "Clemente's family helps to christen renamed bridge". post-gazette.com. Retrieved 2007-12-10.
- ^ Diana Nelson Jones (2007-07-23). "Clemente Museum brightens Lower Lawrenceville outlook". The Pittsburgh Gazette. Retrieved 2007-12-10.
- ^ "About Us". Roberto Clemente Community Academy. Retrieved 2007-12-10.
- ^ "National Postal Museum to feature Roberto Clemente Walker". Hispania News. Retrieved 2007-12-10.
- ^ "The Sporting News Baseball 100 Greatest Players". The Sporting News. Retrieved 2007-12-09.
- ^ "All-Century Team final voting". ESPN. 1999-10-23. Retrieved 2009-03-05.
- ^ Cunniff, Bill (1999-11-26). "Sosa plays host at party at his island mansion". Chicago Sun-Times. p. 3. Retrieved 2008-10-04.
- ^ "Sharon Robinson: honor Clemente some other way". ESPN. Associated Press. January 24, 2006. Retrieved 20009-08-17.
The daughter of Jackie Robinson thinks Major League Baseball should not retire Roberto Clemente's No. 21, the New York Daily News reported Tuesday. The Hispanics Across America advocacy group wants Clemente's number set aside the way the late Robinson's No. 42 was nine years ago. But Sharon Robinson said that honor should remain for her father only.
{{cite news}}
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at position 152 (help) - ^ a b "American Experience: Roberto Clemente". Public Broadcasting Service. Retrieved 2008-07-29.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fa/Wikiquote-logo.svg/34px-Wikiquote-logo.svg.png)
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs
- Roberto Clemente at the Baseball Hall of Fame
- Latino Sports Legends
- Society of American Baseball Research BioProject biography of Clemente
- Baseball-almanac
Awards and achievements | ||
---|---|---|
Preceded by | National League Batting Champion 1961 1964–1965 1967 |
Succeeded by |
Preceded by | National League Most Valuable Player 1966 |
Succeeded by |
Preceded by | Major League Player of the Month May 1960 May 1967 July 1969 |
Succeeded by |
Preceded by | World Series MVP 1971 |
Succeeded by |
Preceded by | Babe Ruth Award 1971 |
Succeeded by |
- People from Carolina, Puerto Rico
- National Baseball Hall of Fame inductees
- Major League Baseball right fielders
- Pittsburgh Pirates players
- National League All-Stars
- Major League Baseball players from Puerto Rico
- Gold Glove Award winners
- National League batting champions
- United States Marines
- Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients
- Congressional Gold Medal recipients
- Puerto Rican Marines
- Puerto Rican military personnel
- Puerto Ricans of African descent
- Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in Puerto Rico
- Major League Baseball players with retired numbers
- 1934 births
- 1972 deaths