Roberto Clemente 15 All-Star selections

Lore & Background

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 showed interest in baseball early and played softball at age 14. He attended Julio Vizcarrondo High School where he was a track and field star and an Olympic hopeful before focusing on baseball. His professional career began at age 18 with the Cangrejeros de Santurce. He was signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers but lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates in the Rule 5 draft after the 1954 season. On December 31, 1972, Clemente was killed when his chartered Douglas DC-7 airplane crashed off the coast of Isla Verde, Puerto Rico, while en route to deliver aid to Nicaragua earthquake victims. He was 38 years old.

Reader's Guide

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. He is widely referred to as 'the Great One.' The Pittsburgh Pirates retired his uniform number 21. MLB renamed the Commissioner's Award to the Roberto Clemente Award in his honor.

Did You Know?

• 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).
• Clemente joined the United States Marine Corps Reserve in September 1958 and served six months of active duty.
• Clemente wore number 21 because his full name had 21 letters.