Roberto Clemente Statue

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Lore & Background

Clemente was born in Carolina, Puerto Rico, and was a track and field star and Olympic hopeful before focusing on baseball. His professional career began at age 18 with the Cangrejeros de Santurce of the Puerto Rican Professional Baseball League. He was signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers for a $10,000 bonus but was lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates in the Rule 5 draft after the 1954 season. Clemente wore uniform number 21 because his full name, Roberto Clemente Walker, had 21 letters. He died in a plane crash on December 31, 1972, at age 38, while en route to deliver aid to survivors of the Nicaragua earthquake.

In Their Own Story

The evening air cools along the riverbank as a lone fan approaches the bronze figure. He pauses, running a hand over the sculpted glove before turning toward the stadium lights flickering on above the stands. A quiet nod is exchanged with another visitor, a shared understanding of what this spot represents without needing words.

Reader's Guide

Clemente was an All-Star for 13 seasons, selected to 15 All-Star Games. He was the National League MVP in 1966, NL batting leader in 1961, 1964, 1965, and 1967, and a Gold Glove Award winner for 12 consecutive seasons from 1961 through 1972. His batting average was over .300 for 13 seasons and he had 3,000 hits. He was a two-time World Series champion and the first player from the Caribbean and Latin America to win a World Series as a starting position player (1960), to receive an NL MVP Award (1966), and to receive a World Series MVP Award (1971).

Did You Know?

• Clemente was the first Latino and Caribbean player inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, in 1973.
• He chose uniform number 21 because his full name, Roberto Clemente Walker, had 21 letters.
• Clemente died in a plane crash on December 31, 1972, while delivering aid to Nicaragua earthquake victims.
• The Roberto Clemente Award was renamed from the Commissioner's Award in his honor.

The Humble Origins of a Future Legend

Roberto Enrique Clemente Walker 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 six siblings. During his childhood, his father worked as a foreman for sugar cane crops, and Clemente and his brothers worked alongside him loading and unloading trucks. Clemente first showed interest in baseball early in life and often played against neighboring barrios. At age fourteen, he was recruited by Roberto Marín to play softball with the Sello Rojo team after being seen playing baseball in barrio San Antón. He attended Julio Vizcarrondo High School in Carolina, where he was a track and field star, participating in the high jump and javelin throw. He was considered good enough to represent Puerto Rico at the Olympics. Despite his all-around athletic skill, he decided to focus on baseball and joined Puerto Rico's amateur league, playing for the Ferdinand Juncos team.

A Career Forged by Rule and Resilience

Clemente's professional career began at age 18 when he accepted a contract from Pedrín Zorrilla with Cangrejeros de Santurce of the Puerto Rican Professional Baseball League on October 9, 1952. While 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. He signed on February 19, 1954. At the time, MLB's bonus rule stipulated that a team signing a player to a contract with a signing bonus over $4,000 must keep that player on the 25-man active roster for two full seasons or lose the rights. The Dodgers decided against benching him and placed him with the Montreal Royals, their Triple-A affiliate. After the 1954 season, the Pittsburgh Pirates made Clemente the first selection of the Rule 5 draft on November 22, 1954.

Unprecedented Excellence on the Diamond

Clemente played 18 seasons in MLB for the Pittsburgh Pirates, primarily as a right fielder. He was an All-Star for 13 seasons, selected to 15 All-Star Games. He was the National League Most Valuable Player in 1966, the NL batting leader in 1961, 1964, 1965, and 1967, and a Gold Glove Award winner for 12 consecutive seasons from 1961 through 1972. His batting average was over .300 for 13 seasons and he had 3,000 hits during his major league career. He was a two-time World Series champion. Clemente was the first player from the Caribbean and Latin America to win a World Series as a starting position player (1960), to receive an NL MVP Award (1966), and to receive a World Series MVP Award (1971). He is widely referred to as 'The Great One.'

A Legacy Defined by Selfless Sacrifice

During the offseason, in addition to playing winter ball in Puerto Rico, Clemente was involved in charity work in Latin American and Caribbean countries. On December 31, 1972, he was killed when his Douglas DC-7 airplane, which he had chartered for a flight to deliver emergency relief goods for the survivors of a massive earthquake in Nicaragua, crashed and plunged into the water off the coast of Isla Verde, Puerto Rico. He was 38 years old. After his death, the National Baseball Hall of Fame changed its rules so that a player who had been dead for at least six months would be eligible for entry. In 1973, Clemente was posthumously inducted, becoming the first Latino and Caribbean player and second of Hispanic descent to be honored in the Hall of Fame. The following season, the Pittsburgh Pirates retired his uniform number 21. MLB renamed the Commissioner's Award to the Roberto Clemente Award.

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