Hall-of-Fame baseball player Roberto Clemente was born in Puerto Rico on August 18, 1934. He grew up into one of the greatest players of all time, completing eighteen seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates before his untimely death. In addition to his greatness on the field, Clemente is also remembered for his humanitarian work.
Clemente did charity work during the off-season in Caribbean and Latin American countries. And he died on December 31, 1972 in a plane crash when he was traveling to help earthquake victims in Nicaragua.
At the time of his death, Clemente had exactly 3,000 hits. He was wonderful in all aspects of the game and a joy to watch. Clemente had a lifetime career batting average of .317 and 240 home runs. And many remember his speed and defensive play in right field, as he won the Golden Glove for twelve seasons. He helped the Pirates win two championships, in 1960 and in 1971, winning the World Series MVP Award in the 1971 series.
Posthumous Honors
In addition to his induction into the MLB Hall of Fame, Clemente received many honors during his lifetime and after his death. A statue of him that once at Three Rivers Stadium now stands outside the Pirates’ current home PNC Park, and a bridge near the ball park is named after him. As an additional honor for the player who wore number 21, the right field fence at PNC Park stands at twenty-one feet tall.
Major League Baseball honors Clemente’s work each year by giving the Roberto Clemente Award to the player who “best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement and the individual’s contribution to his team.” And finally, reportedly a feature film based on the book Clemente: The Passion and Grace of Baseball’s Last Hero
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