Roberto Clemente: Career retrospective | Yardbarker

Clemente was born in Carolina, Puerto Rico, the youngest of seven kids. He started enjoying baseball in highschool, and when he was 18 Clemente turned knowledgeable when he signed to play with Cangrejeros de Santurce, the place he was a bench participant.

Clemente could also be seen because the quintessential Pittsburgh Pirate, however that’s not the place his profession on the mainland started. Whereas he was enjoying professional ball down in Puerto Rico, he drew the eye of the Brooklyn Dodgers. They signed him to a contract for his or her Triple-A affiliate the Montreal Royals, thus starting Clemente’s minor league profession.

Roberto moved to Montreal in 1954 to start enjoying for the Royals. There have been some points adjusting, naturally, particularly given the language barrier. Happily, he had some bilingual teammates to assist him. Regardless of his promise as a participant, Clemente really didn’t play a ton in his time with the Royals.

Baseball was totally different for the ‘50s. Although the Dodgers had signed Clemente to a minor league contract, he was not certain to the franchise. He performed for the Royals, which made him eligible for the MLB Draft. The Pirates had been scouting Clemente’s teammate pitcher Joe Black when pitching coach Clyde Sukeforth seen Clemente. Sukeforth says he instructed Montreal Macon supervisor that day to deal with Clemente, as a result of the Pirates have been going to take him first total. Certainly, Sukeforth and Pittsburgh have been true to their phrase in 1954.

Clemente joined the Pirates for the 1955 season, however it was not the best transition. For starters, he missed time with harm stemming from a automobile accident in Puerto Rico. Second, Clemente needed to take care of being not solely Caribbean however of black ancestry, and Jackie Robinson had solely debuted seven years earlier. In his first season, Clemente batted .255 and had a sub-.300 on-base proportion.

The 1956 season went a bit higher for Clemente. Not solely did he hit .311, however he was additionally answerable for what’s the solely documented inside-the-park walk-off grand slam in MLB historical past. It might nonetheless be till 1958 till the Pirates had a successful season, although.

By 1960, the Pirates have been turning issues round, and Clemente was an enormous cause why. He made the primary of his 15 All-Star Video games, and Pittsburgh received 95 video games to take the Nationwide League pennant. The Pirates beat the Yankees within the World Sequence, giving Clemente his first championship.

The following season wasn’t fairly pretty much as good for the Pirates, however it was a terrific season personally for Clemente. He received his first batting title by hitting .351, and on prime of that he additionally received his first of a whopping 12 Gold Gloves.

Hitting for common was maybe Clemente’s biggest power as a participant (whereas he was defensively a robust participant, superior defensive stats aren’t fairly as sort to him because the narratives of the time have been). In 1964 and 1965 he received back-to-back batting titles within the Nationwide League.

In 1966, Clemente put up the form of counting stats that voters cherished, together with 29 homers and 119 RBI. He additionally slashed .317/.360/.536 whereas enjoying wonderful protection in Pittsburgh’s outfield. Clemente received the Nationwide League MVP for his efforts, beating out Hank Aaron’s 44 homers and Sandy Koufax successful the pitching triple crown.

Pretty much as good as 1966 was for Clemente, the 1967 season was really even higher. He received his ultimate batting title by hitting .357, the perfect of his profession. Clemente additionally hit 23 dwelling runs and 110 RBI as nicely. He posted a 7.7 WAR, additionally the perfect of his profession, however couldn’t take dwelling a second MVP award.

The Pirates known as Forbes Discipline dwelling from 1906 via 1970, which meant that Clemente spent a few years patrolling that outfield. In the course of the 1970 season, although, the Pirates made the transfer to Three Rivers Stadium. It was tough for Clemente, who famous he had spent half his life enjoying at Forbes Discipline. Early within the lifetime of Three Rivers the Pirates had a Roberto Clemente Night time, celebrating him and his Puerto Rican heritage.

Clemente and the Pirates returned to the World Sequence in 1971, the place they confronted off with the defending champions the Baltimore Orioles. Baltimore have been favorites, however the Pirates have been in a position to win the collection in seven video games. Clemente hit .414 within the World Sequence and hit a house run in Pittsburgh’s 2-1 win in Recreation 7. This led to Roberto being named World Sequence MVP.

In 1972, Clemente turned 38 and was slowing down a bit as a participant. Accidents restricted him to 102 video games, although he nonetheless hit .312 that season. A kind of hits got here on September 30, when he racked up his 3,000th hit, fittingly in entrance of his dwelling crowd. This may be the ultimate hit of Clemente’s profession.

Whereas Clemente didn’t bat once more within the 1972 season after getting his 3,000th hit, he did function a defensive alternative in an October recreation that served as one other milestone. By showing in that recreation, Clemente handed Honus Wagner for many video games performed as a Pirate.

All through his profession, Clemente did an amazing quantity of charity work, notably all through Latin America. An earthquake struck Managua, the capital of Nicaragua, in December of 1972. Clemente had despatched aid packages to Managua repeatedly, however that they had been diverted by corrupt authorities officers. Given this, Clemente determined to personally partake in his fourth aid effort. The airplane he chartered was understaffed and overloaded, however they took off from New York on New 12 months’s Eve nonetheless. Sadly, the airplane crashed into the Atlantic Ocean that evening, with everyone on board, Clemente included, dying within the accident.

Historically, a participant needed to be retired for 5 years previous to their induction within the Baseball Corridor of Fame. Given the tragic circumstances surrounding Clemente, although, baseball moved to vary the principles. If a participant has handed away, it’s solely six months till a participant turns into eligible. Clemente was elected into the Baseball Corridor of Fame in March of 1973 with 92.7 p.c of the vote.

Whereas Clemente wore 13 for his first six weeks as a Pirate, he then switched to the quantity 21, which he wore for the remainder of his profession. As maybe the most-iconic Pirates participant ever, naturally Pittsburgh retired his quantity. Additionally they constructed a statue of him in entrance of PNC Park, the park that changed Three Rivers Stadium.

In 1971, MLB launched the Commissioner’s Award, which was for the participant who mixed talent on the sphere with a dedication to charity work and neighborhood enchancment. Nevertheless, in 1973 that award was renamed the Roberto Clemente Award, which is extraordinarily becoming given how a lot he did for these in want.

Clemente made 15 All-Star groups, received 12 Gold Gloves, 4 batting titles, and one MVP. He was the primary Latin American and Caribbean participant to be inducted into the Baseball Corridor of Fame. In 2003, George W. Bush posthumously awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Since Clemente, many wonderful gamers have come out of Puerto Rico. In a means, all of them owe a debt to Clemente. Whereas his demise was really tragic, we should always by no means lose sight of the actual fact he died attempting to assist these in want.