Roberto Clemente

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Lore & Background

Clemente's professional career began at age 18 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. Due to the bonus rule 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. 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 age 38 while en route to deliver aid to victims of the Nicaragua earthquake.

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 the National League 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 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). The following season after his death, the Pittsburgh Pirates retired his uniform number 21.

Did You Know?

• Clemente was a track and field star in high school, participating in the high jump and javelin throw, but he was never an Olympic hopeful; Puerto Rico did not participate in track and field in a way that made him a reali
• He 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).
• Clemente wore number 21 because he was assigned it by the team, not because of his name's letter count.
• After his death, the National Baseball Hall of Fame waived the five-year waiting period for Clemente via a special BBWAA ballot in 1973; the permanent rule change reducing the waiting period for deceased players had been
• Clemente joined the United States Marine Corps Reserve in September 1958 and served six months active duty, gaining ten pounds and saying his back troubles disappeared as a result of the training.

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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