Clemente 1971 MVP Season

Lore & Background

Clemente was born on August 18, 1934, in Barrio San Antón in Carolina, Puerto Rico. He was the youngest of six siblings. His father worked as a foreman for sugar cane crops. Clemente showed interest in baseball early and played softball at age 14. He was inspired by Monte Irvin, a right fielder for the Negro leagues' Newark Eagles. He attended Julio Vizcarrondo High School where he was a track and field star, participating in the high jump and javelin throw, and was considered good enough to represent Puerto Rico at the Olympics. He decided to focus on baseball and joined Puerto Rico's amateur league.

Reader's Guide

Clemente's professional career began at age 18 with the Cangrejeros de Santurce of the Puerto Rican Professional Baseball League. He signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers for a $10,000 bonus but was lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates in the Rule 5 draft after the 1954 season due to the bonus rule. He made his MLB debut in 1955 and played through 1972. He was an All-Star for 13 seasons, selected to 15 All-Star Games. His batting average was over .300 for 13 seasons and he had 3,000 hits. He died in a plane crash on December 31, 1972, at age 38, while en route to deliver aid to victims of the Nicaragua earthquake. The Pirates retired his uniform number 21 the following season. MLB renamed the Commissioner's Award to the Roberto Clemente Award in his honor.

Did You Know?

• Clemente was the first Latino and Caribbean player inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, in 1973.
• Clemente wore number 21 because his full name, Roberto Clemente Walker, had 21 letters.
• He served in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve starting in September 1958.