Roberto Clemente
A member of the 3,000-hit club, Roberto Clemente was a tremendously proud man who was often misunderstood by the press and his teammates. He was criticized for refusing to play with minor injuries, despite the fact that he won four batting championships. He played on two Pirate World Series winners and became a legendary figure after his tragic death while delivering supplies to victims of the Nicaraguan earthquake in 1972.
His tragic death prompted the Hall of Fame's Board of Director's to unanimously wave the customary five year period for induction, opening the door for the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) to hold a special election on Clemente's behalf. By an overwhelming vote of 93%, Clemente became the first player of Latin American descent to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
| Career Batting Stats |
| G |
AB |
H |
R |
HR |
RBI |
SB |
AVG |
SLG |
OBP |
OPS |
OPS+ |
| 2433 |
9454 |
3000 |
1416 |
240 |
1305 |
83 |
.317 |
.475 |
.359 |
.834 |
119.5 |
|
Where does Roberto Clemente rank among baseball greats?
Roberto Clemente ranks #7 among the Top 50 all-time at RF. Rankings ⇒
Roberto Clemente Teammates
Best Season: 1966
Though he failed to win his third straight batting title (.317), Clemente played at a high level and set a career mark for RBI (119). He stayed healthy (which was rare for him), playing 154 games. He won the Gold Glove (his 6th straight) and slugged .536. He collected 202 hits, scored 105 runs, and hit a career-high 29 home runs.
Factoids
On July 25, 1956, Roberto Clemente hit a walk-off inside-the-park grand slam in the ninth inning to defeat the Cubs, 9-8, at Forbes Field.
The Arm
Clemente grew up in Puerto Rico listening to the Dodgers on the radio and idolizing Carl Furillo - Brooklyn's right fielder with a cannon for an arm. When he arrived in the majors, Clemente soon gained recognition for his wing as well. He once threw a ball from deep right center field at Forbes Field all the way to home plate on the fly. The distance was 460 feet.
His Legacy
Since 1971, Major League Baseball has annually presented an award that recognizes the player who best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement and the individual's contribution to his team. In 1972 the award, formerly know as the Commissioner's Award, was renamed to honor Roberto Clemente, who tragically died in a plane crash while delivering much needed supplies to earthquake-stricken citizens of Nicaragua on New Year's Eve. Clemente once said, "Anytime you have an opportunity to make things better and you don't, then you are wasting your time on this Earth."
Where He Played
Right field (2,302 games), center field (63), left field (27)
Born
Roberto (Walker) Clemente was born on August 18, 1934, in Carolina
Died
December 31, 1972, ,
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
Major League Debut
4 17,
Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1955
Brooks Robinson
Roberto Clemente
Ken Boyer
Rocky Colavito
Clete Boyer
Elston Howard
Sandy Koufax
Jim Bunning
Bill Virdon
Nicknames
Arriba, Bob
Writers dubbed him "The Great One." His friends called him "Bobby" or "Bob." Clemente was also called "Arriba" in his native Puerto Rico.
Uniform Numbers
#13 (1955), #21 (1955-1972)
Family Tree
Clemente's son, Roberto Jr., has made a career for himself in baseball as an announcer. He was hired to call games for MLB's Spanish speaking network, as well as by ESPN Espanol.
Similar Players
Ruben Sierra, both in physical appearance and batting style.
Related Players
Lou Gehrig, Jon Matlack
| Hall of Fame Voting |
| Year |
Election |
Votes |
Pct |
| 1973 |
Special Election |
|
% |
|
Post-Season Appearances
1960 World Series
1970 National League Championship Series
1971 National League Championship Series
1971 World Series
1972 National League Championship Series
Awards and Honors
1961 NL Gold Glove
1962 NL Gold Glove
1963 NL Gold Glove
1964 NL Gold Glove
1965 NL Gold Glove
1966 NL Gold Glove
1966 NL MVP
1967 NL Gold Glove
1968 NL Gold Glove
1969 NL Gold Glove
1970 NL Gold Glove
1971 NL Gold Glove
1971 ML WS MVP
1972 NL Gold Glove
Milestones
By 1972, Clemente had passed Honus Wagner as the Pirate club leader in games, at-bats, hits, and total bases. He had also surpassed Pie Traynor for the team career mark in RBI. All that was missing was the magical 3,000th hit, and on the regular season's final day Clemente stood one hit shy.
On September 29th, Clemente had nearly reached the coveted milestone off Tom Seaver, but a ball he hit was ruled an error and the suspense waited until the 30th.
,br>
At home facing the Mets and pitcher Jon Matlack, the Pirates had already wrapped up the NL East title. Clemente batted third in the lineup but went hitless his first time up. In the fourth he rifled a pitch from Matlack off the warning track for a solid double. He had become the 11th man to reach the 3,000 mark. Pirate fans gave him a long ovation and the proud man raised his cap to the crowd. He would say after the game, "I give this hit to the fans of Pittsburgh and to the people of Puerto Rico."
Milestones
- September 30, 1972: 3000th Hit... The final hit of his career, Clemente doubled off Jon Matlack in the final game of the 1972 regular season.
Hitting Streaks
20 games (1965)
18 games (1962)
17 games (1966)
15 games (1966)
All-Star Selections
1960 NL
1961 NL
1962 NL
1963 NL
1964 NL
1965 NL
1966 NL
1967 NL
1969 NL
1970 NL
1971 NL
1972 NL
Replaced
Clemente was actually property of the Brooklyn Dodgers, but he was let go because Carl Furillo stood in his way at the major league level. Once the Pirates snatched him, they knew they had a keeper. In 1955, veteran Sid Gordon started the year as the Buc's right fielder, before Clemente took the job. He held onto it for 17 years.
Replaced By
The Pirates tried a radical move when they decided to put catcher Manny Sanguillen in right field to start the 1973 season. By mid-year he was back behind the dish, and young Richie Zisk was in right.
"He played the game of baseball with great passion," Sanguillen said. "That passion could only be matched by his unrelenting commitment to make a difference in the lives of the less fortunate and those in need. People saw Roberto as a great ballplayer and humanitarian. He was also a great father, husband, teammate and friend."
Best Strength as a Player
He could flat-out hit.
Largest Weakness as a Player
He was fragile.
Learn More about Roberto Clemente
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