Roberto Clemente

From Free net encyclopedia

Template:Infobox baseball player}}

Roberto Clemente Walker (August 18, 1934 – December 31, 1972) was a Major League Baseball right fielder and right-handed batter. He was elected to the Hall of Fame posthumously in 1973, being the first Hispanic American to be selected, and the only exception to the mandatory five-year post-retirement waiting period since it was instituted in 1954. Clemente was born in Carolina, Puerto Rico, the youngest of seven (some accounts say four) children. He played 18 seasons in the majors from 1955 to 1972, all with the Pittsburgh Pirates, winning the National League MVP Award in 1966.

Baseball accomplishments

Image:Wiki robertoclemente.JPG Clemente was a 4-time NL batting champion, finishing in the top ten in batting average thirteen times. He finished his career with exactly 3,000 hits. He was the 11th player in history to reach this number. He also had one of the most powerful throwing arms of any outfielder in baseball history, which contributed to him winning 12 Gold Glove Awards for his outstanding defense; he was reported to be able to throw out a runner from his knees. Perhaps Clemente's greatest feat was leading the Pittsburgh Pirates to a seven-game World Series victory over the Baltimore Orioles in 1971. He played in two World Series (1960 and 1971) and got a hit in every game in which he played. He compiled a lifetime batting average of .317 and batted .300 or better thirteen times, hitting 240 home runs and gathering 1305 runs batted in. He also collected 166 triples, finishing in the top five of the league eleven times, and had 266 outfield assists. He is one of only four players (as of the end of the 2005 season) to have 10 or more Gold Gloves and a .300+ lifetime batting average.

Early career

With his natural tools — an amazing ability to make contact at the plate coupled with a tremendous arm in the field — Clemente first caught the eye of major league scouts while playing with the Santurce Crabbers (alongside Willie Mays) in the Puerto Rican Winter League. At the age of 18, he hit .356 for Santurce in the winter of 1952-1953. Scout Al Campanis signed Clemente for the Brooklyn Dodgers with a $10,000 bonus later in 1953. His new team, however, was unable to fit him into a star-studded outfield featuring 1953 National League All-Stars Carl Furillo, Duke Snider, and Jackie Robinson. Aware of a rule that would make Clemente available in a minor league draft (the predecessor of today's Rule 5 Draft) after the 1954 season, the Dodgers tried to hide him with their minor league affiliate, the Montreal Royals. He hit only .257 and did not distinguish himself with the bat.

Despite the Dodgers' efforts, Pittsburgh Pirates president Branch Rickey drafted Clemente with the first selection in the post-season draft. Pittsburgh at the time was a fixture at the bottom of the National League and had lost 100 games in each of the three previous seasons. With little to lose, the Pirates installed Clemente in place of incumbent right fielder Sid Gordon early in the 1955 season. Although Clemente's skill with the glove was immediately apparent, he was less impressive at the plate; he batted .255 with 5 home runs and 47 RBI in his first full season in 1955. In 1956, though, he hit his stride, producing a .311 batting average (third in the league) at the age of 21. It was the first of thirteen seasons in which Clemente would hit above .300.

The 1960s

While Clemente had begun to fulfill his potential, the Pirates continued to struggle through the 1950s, although they did manage their first winning season since 1948 in 1959. In 1960, however, the team broke through to a 95-59 record, a National League pennant, and a thrilling seven-game World Series victory over the Mantle-Maris New York Yankees. Clemente batted .310 in the series, hitting safely at least once in every game. His .314 batting average, 16 home runs, and stellar defense earned him his first trip to the All-Star game. Through the rest of the decade, Clemente firmly established himself as one of the premier players in baseball. For the rest of his career, he batted over .300 in every year save 1968, when he hit .291; he was selected to every All-Star game; and he was given a Gold Glove after every season from 1961 onwards. He led the National League in batting average four times (1961, 1964, 1965, and 1967), led the NL in hits twice (1964 and 1967), and won the MVP award for his 1966 season, when he hit .317 while setting career highs in home runs (29) and RBI (119).

Regardless of his unquestionable success, some (including, supposedly, Clemente himself) felt that the media did not give him the recognition he deserved. Despite being the offensive and defensive leader of the strong 1960 Pirates club, he finished only eighth in voting for the MVP that season; teammate Dick Groat received the award. In protest Clemente reportedly never wore his 1960 World Series ring. He was also labeled a hypochondriac due to nagging injuries early in his career, although he played in 140 games in each season from 1960 to 1967. The 1966 MVP award was, in the eyes of many Pittsburgh fans, a long overdue acknowledgment of his greatness.

The 1970s

In 1971, the Pirates again won the National League pennant behind Willie Stargell's 48 home runs and Clemente's .341 batting average and faced the Baltimore Orioles in the World Series. Baltimore had won 100 games and swept the American League Championship Series, both for the third consecutive year, and were the defending World Series champions. Undaunted, Pittsburgh came back from down two games to none in the series to win it in seven for the second time in Clemente's career. He was the clear star of the series, with an incredible .414 batting average (12 hits in 29 at-bats), typically spectacular defense, and a crucial solo home run in the deciding 2-1 Game 7 victory. His efforts earned him the World Series MVP award.

Struggling with injuries, Clemente managed to appear in only 102 games in 1972, but still hit .312 for his final .300 season. On September 30, he hit a double off Jon Matlack of the New York Mets for his 3,000th hit. It was the last at-bat of his career during a regular season, though he did play in the 1972 NLCS playoffs against the Cincinnati Reds. In the playoffs, he batted .235 as he went 4 for 17. His last game ever was at Cincinnati's Riverfront Stadium in the 5th game of the playoff series.

Death and posthumous honors

Image:PresMedalFreedom.jpg A hero in his native Puerto Rico, Clemente spent much of his time during the off-season involved in charity work. He died in a plane crash off the coast of Isla Verde, Puerto Rico on December 31, 1972 while en route to deliver aid to earthquake victims in Nicaragua. His body was never recovered.

Puerto Rico has honored Roberto Clemente's memory by naming the coliseum in San Juan, Puerto Rico Coliseo Roberto Clemente. His native city, Carolina, named an avenue after him and realized his dream of establishing a sports complex where the youth could learn and practice sports in a healthy environment. Today this sports complex is called "Ciudad Deportiva Roberto Clemente" (Roberto Clemente Sports City). There is also a monument in his likeness created by Puerto Rican sculptor Jose Buscaglia Guillermety situated in Carolina. The state of New York named a state park after him almost immediately after his death; he now has several schools and parks named after him. [1]

In Pittsburgh, the 6th Street Bridge was renamed in his memory, and the Pirates retired his number 21 at the start of the 1973 season. MLB presents the Roberto Clemente Award every year to the player who best follows Clemente's example with humanitarian work. In 2002, Clemente was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In 2003, he was inducted into the U.S. Marine Corps Sports Hall of Fame. The right field wall at the Pirates' PNC Park is 21 feet high in honor of Clemente. There is also currently a campaign underway to have all major league teams retire Clemente's number. Supporters cite an influence on baseball at least as strong as that of Jackie Robinson, whose number is also retired throughout MLB.

In 1999, he ranked Number 20 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, the highest-ranking Latino player. Later that year, Clemente was nominated as a finalist for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. Several Latino fans wrote letters saying that, as the greatest of all Latino players, he should have been awarded a spot on the team. On October 26, 2005, Clemente was named a member of Major League Baseball's Latino Legends Team.

See also

• Players from Puerto Rico in MLB
• List of famous Puerto Ricans
• Roberto Clemente, Jr.

External links/sources

• List of Places and Organizations named after Clemente
• Roberto Clemente at:
  • Baseball Hall of Fame
  • Baseball Reference
  • Latino Sports Legends
  • United States Marine Corps Sports Hall of Fame

Template:Start box Template:Succession box Template:Succession box Template:End boxes:Roberto Clemente ja:ロベルト・クレメンテ