Roberto Clemente

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Lore & Background

Born in Carolina, Puerto Rico, Clemente showed early athletic promise in track and field, competing in local meets before deciding to turn his full attention to baseball. His professional career began at the age of eighteen, with the Cangrejeros de Santurce of the Puerto Rican Professional Baseball League. He quickly attracted the attention of the Brooklyn Dodgers who signed him to a bonus of $10,000. However, due to the bonus rule under which Clemente had signed and the Dodgers' decision to send him to the minor leagues, they lost Clemente to the Pittsburgh Pirates who drafted him after the 1954 season. Clemente was an All-Star for 15 seasons, selected to 15 All-Star Games. He was the National League (NL) Most Valuable Player (MVP) 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 also was a two-time World Series champion. Clemente was the first player from the Caribbean and Latin America to receive an NL MVP Award (1966) and to receive a World Series MVP Award (1971). During the offseason, in addition to playing winter ball in Puerto Rico, Clemente was involved in charity work in Latin American and Caribbean countries. In 1972, he died in a plane crash at the age of 38 while en route to deliver aid to victims of the Nicaragua earthquake. The following season, the Pittsburgh Pirates retired his uniform number 21. In his honor, MLB renamed the Commissioner's Award, given to the player who "best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement and the individual's contribution to his team", to the Roberto Clemente Award.

In Their Own Story

On December 31, 1972, Clemente 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 (after Lefty Gomez in 1972) to be honored in the Hall of Fame.

Reader's Guide

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 six 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. His 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. At the time of Clemente's signin

Did You Know?

• Clemente competed in local track and field meets in his youth.
• He wore number 21 because his full name, Roberto Clemente Walker, had 21 letters.
• After his death, the Hall of Fame changed its rules so that a player dead for at least six months could be eligible for entry.
• Clemente was the second Hispanic player inducted into the Hall of Fame, after Lefty Gomez.

Early Life and Athletic Origins

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 six siblings. During his childhood, his father worked as a foreman for sugar cane crops. Clemente and his brothers worked alongside his father in the fields, loading and unloading trucks. 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, he decided to focus on baseball and joined Puerto Rico's amateur league, playing for the Ferdinand Juncos team.

The Path to Pittsburgh

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. He was a bench player during his first season but was promoted to the starting lineup the following season, hitting .288 as the team's leadoff hitter. 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. Due to the bonus rule, the Dodgers placed him with the Montreal Royals, their Triple-A affiliate. In 87 games with the Royals, Clemente hit .257 with two home runs. At the end of the season, the Pirates made Clemente the first selection of the Rule 5 draft on November 22, 1954.

On-Field Dominance and Historic Firsts

Clemente 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). For all but the first seven weeks of his major league career, Clemente wore number 21, so chosen because his full name of Roberto Clemente Walker had that many letters.

Humanitarian Legacy and Tragic End

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, Clemente 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 (after Lefty Gomez in 1972) 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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