Roberto Clemente, a professional Puerto Rican baseball player, is widely regarded as one of the greatest baseball players of all time. His exceptional skills on the field earned him numerous awards, including the prestigious Most Valuable Player Award. Not only did he achieve the remarkable milestone of 3000 hits, but his impact extended far beyond the realm of baseball. Clemente’s name is etched into the very foundations of schools, hospitals, monuments, and statues, serving as a testament to his enduring fame. However, his legacy goes beyond his athletic prowess. Clemente possessed an immense sense of ethnic pride and viewed his career as a means to uplift and support underprivileged Latin Americans. His love for children was evident through his dedication to holding baseball clinics for young ones, even amidst his busy schedule. Additionally, he harbored a dream of constructing a ‘Sports City’ that would provide countless opportunities for Puerto Rican youths to pursue careers in sports. Tragically, his life was cut short in a plane crash, robbing the world of all that he still had to offer.
Quick Facts
- Also Known As: Roberto Enrique Clemente Walker
- Died At Age: 38
- Family:
- Spouse/Ex-: Vera Cristina Zabala (m. 1964–1972)
- Father: Don Melchor Clemente
- Mother: Luisa Walker
- Children: Luis Roberto Walker, Roberto Enrique Walker, Roberto Walker Jr.
- Born Country: Puerto Rico
- Quotes By Roberto Clemente
- Baseball Players
- Died on: December 31, 1972
- Place of death: Parque Isla Verde, Carolina, Puerto Rico
- Grouping of People: Black Baseball Players
- Cause of Death: Plane Crash
- More Facts
- Awards:
- 2002 – Presidential Medal of Freedom
- National League Most Valuable Player Award 1973
- Congressional Gold Medal 1973
- Presidential Citizens Medal
Childhood
Roberto Clemente was born on August 18, 1934, in Barrio San Anton, Carolina, in Puerto Rico. His parents were Don Melchor Clemente and Dona Luisa Walker. They had seven children, Roberto being the youngest one. Their family was not very privileged, and his father used to work in the sugar fields, sometimes being aided by Roberto as well, in loading and unloading trucks.
Clemente attended Vizcarrondo High School, which was located in Carolina. From an early age, he developed an interest in baseball. In his first year of high school, he was recruited by Roberto Marin to play softball with the Sello Rojo team after Marin was impressed by his baseball skills. At the age of sixteen, he joined the Puerto Rico’s amateur league, playing for the Ferdinand Juncos team.
Career
In October 1952, he was given a contract by Pedrin Zorilla, which marked the beginning of his professional career in baseball. He played for the Cangrejeros de Santurce, a winter league team, in the Puerto Rican Professional Baseball League.
From 1954, he started playing with the American baseball team Brooklyn Dodgers, with whom he had signed a contract. The next year, he started playing for the Pittsburgh Pirates as well, making his debut in major league.
Slowly, as the years passed, he became one of the best baseball players of the country. Having won the NL batting title four times, he was also known for having one of the most dangerous arms ever witnessed in baseball.
He used to be referred to as ‘Bob Clemente’ during his career in Major League Baseball, though he usually preferred to be called with his first name.
Awards & Achievements
Roberto Clemente won several awards in his lifetime, which included the NL MVP Award in 1966.
He won the NL Player of the Month Award thrice (May 1960, May 1967, and July 1969).
In 1971, he was awarded with the World Series MVP Award.
He received the Commissioner’s Historic Achievement Award posthumously in 2006.
Clemente also received three civilian awards posthumously: the Congressional Gold Medal and Presidential Citizens Medal from President Richard Nixon in 1973, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom from George W. Bush in 2003.
Personal Life & Legacy
Roberto Clemente got married in the year 1964. He and his wife had three children. Throughout his life, he was involved in different kinds of charity work, though they were not always related to baseball.
He died in a plane crash on December 31, 1972 while he was on his way to Nicaragua to deliver aid to earthquake victims.
The MLB started presenting the Roberto Clemente Award from 1971. It is given every year to a player who shows incredible skills in baseball and is also personally involved in community work.
Based on his life, several books and documentaries have been produced. Some of them are ‘Baseball’s Last Hero: 21 Clemente Stories’, an American film, and ‘Chasing 3000’, another American film.