Roberto Clemente

Lore & Background

Clemente was born in Carolina, Puerto Rico, the youngest of six siblings. He worked in sugar cane fields as a child. He was a track and field star and an Olympic hopeful before focusing on baseball. He began his professional career at age 18 with the Cangrejeros de Santurce. The Brooklyn Dodgers signed him for a $10,000 bonus, but due to the bonus rule, the Pittsburgh Pirates drafted him after the 1954 season. He was an All-Star for 13 seasons, NL MVP in 1966, NL batting leader in 1961, 1964, 1965, and 1967, and won 12 consecutive Gold Glove Awards. He had 3,000 hits and a batting average over .300 for 13 seasons. 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).

Reader's Guide

Clemente wore number 21 for most of his major league career, chosen because his full name had 21 letters. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve in 1958. During off-seasons, he played winter ball in Puerto Rico and was involved in charity work in Latin American and Caribbean countries. After his death, the Pirates retired his uniform number 21. MLB renamed the Commissioner's Award to the Roberto Clemente Award in his honor.

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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