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Puerto Rico Profile: Roberto Clemente
October 8, 1999
Copyright © 1999 THE PUERTO RICO HERALD. All Rights Reserved.
 "Anytime you have an opportunity to make things
better and you don't, then you are wasting your time on this Earth."
-- Roberto Clemente
On August 18th, the people of Carolina, Puerto Rico, honored
their home-town hero. Mayor Jose E. Aponte De La Torre unveiled
a huge bronze plaque - 10 feet tall and 30 feet long - in his
memory.
A few months before, the people of Pittsburgh, PA, honored
their home-town hero. 5,000 devotees gathered to name a bridge
after him.
Carolina and Pittsburgh don't have much in common, but they
do have the same home-town hero - Roberto Clemente.
The Roberto Clemente story has been told many times. From humble
beginnings in Carolina, "The Great One" rose to stardom
in right field for the Pittsburgh Pirates. In 18 seasons in the
major leagues, he was a 12 time all-star. He won four batting
titles and 12 Gold Gloves. In 1966, he was the National League's
Most Valuable Player, and in 1971 he led the Pirates to victory
in the World Series, batting .414 and earning the Series MVP award.
Then he was gone.
On New Year's Eve, 1972, while bringing aid to earthquake victims
in Nicaragua, Roberto Clemente died in a plane crash off the coast
of his native island. The following year, he would be the first
Latino inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Clemente left an indelible mark on the game of baseball, both
on and off the field. As a player, he was the first Latino superstar,
blazing a trail for many of today's best, like Sammy Sosa and
Manny Ramirez. He has been a great inspiration to his fellow Puerto
Ricans, a number of whom - like Juan Gonzales, Bernie Williams,
and Roberto Alomar - are perennial all-stars. This year, Orlando
Cepeda became the second Puerto Rican to enter the Hall of Fame.
He will certainly not be the last.
As a humanitarian, Clemente provided an even greater example.
He said in 1972, "There is nothing wrong with our homes,
our country, that a little more care, a little more concern, a
little more love, won't cure. We're all brothers and sisters,
and we must give each other a helping hand when it is needed."
His heroic efforts to live out these words were cut tragically
short, but his family and a generation of socially conscious Latino
athletes are working to fill the void.
Clemente's sons have led the effort to preserve their father's
legacy. In 1993, Roberto, Jr., founded the Roberto Clemente Foundation,
which provides training in athletics and citizenship to youths
in the Pittsburgh area. His brother Luis manages the Roberto Clemente
Sports City. This 300 acre complex in Carolina, Puerto Rico, features
a dormitory, seven baseball diamonds, and instruction in sports
from golf to tae kwon-do.
More and more, ballplayers from Puerto Rico and throughout
Latin America are following Roberto Clemente's example. They have
established community centers and sports clinics that keep kids
off the street and teach them the fundamentals of success. Carlos
Baerga of the Cleveland Indians, another Puerto Rican standout,
goes even further. He sponsors the largest baseball charity event
in the world, an annual celebrity softball game in San Juan.
27 years after his death, Roberto Clemente's memory burns bright.
Pete Ridge was an usher at Pirates games and he witnessed some
of Clemente's greatest moments. "He was a shining beacon
for the minorities of Pittsburgh, and the world, as well as to
all people, regardless of color or national origin. He died as
he had lived, as a hero. He was a good, decent man."
The people of Carolina, where he was born, and of Pittsburgh,
where he became a star, have a special claim to Roberto Clemente.
But they will need to share him with all the other Americans,
all the baseball fans, all the victims of poverty and misfortune
in whom he inspires wonder and gratitude.
| Year |
Club |
G |
AB |
R |
H |
2B |
3B |
HR |
RBI |
AVG |
| 1955 |
Pittsburgh |
124 |
474 |
48 |
121 |
23 |
11 |
5 |
47 |
.255 |
| 1956 |
Pittsburgh |
147 |
543 |
66 |
169 |
30 |
7 |
7 |
60 |
.311 |
| 1957 |
Pittsburgh |
111 |
451 |
42 |
114 |
17 |
7 |
4 |
30 |
.253 |
| 1958 |
Pittsburgh |
140 |
519 |
69 |
150 |
24 |
10 |
6 |
50 |
.289 |
| 1959 |
Pittsburgh |
105 |
432 |
60 |
128 |
17 |
7 |
4 |
50 |
.296 |
| 1960 |
Pittsburgh |
144 |
570 |
89 |
179 |
22 |
6 |
16 |
94 |
.314 |
| 1961 |
Pittsburgh |
146 |
572 |
100 |
201 |
30 |
10 |
23 |
89 |
*.351 |
| 1962 |
Pittsburgh |
144 |
538 |
95 |
168 |
28 |
9 |
10 |
74 |
.312 |
| 1963 |
Pittsburgh |
152 |
600 |
77 |
192 |
23 |
8 |
17 |
76 |
.320 |
| 1964 |
Pittsburgh |
155 |
622 |
95 |
*211 |
40 |
7 |
12 |
87 |
*.339 |
| 1965 |
Pittsburgh |
152 |
589 |
91 |
194 |
21 |
14 |
10 |
65 |
*.329 |
| 1966 |
Pittsburgh |
154 |
638 |
105 |
202 |
31 |
11 |
29 |
119 |
.317 |
| 1967 |
Pittsburgh |
147 |
585 |
103 |
*209 |
26 |
10 |
23 |
110 |
*.357 |
| 1968 |
Pittsburgh |
132 |
502 |
74 |
146 |
18 |
12 |
18 |
57 |
.291 |
| 1969 |
Pittsburgh |
138 |
507 |
87 |
175 |
20 |
*12 |
19 |
91 |
.345 |
| 1970 |
Pittsburgh |
108 |
412 |
65 |
145 |
22 |
10 |
14 |
60 |
.352 |
| 1971 |
Pittsburgh |
132 |
522 |
82 |
178 |
29 |
8 |
13 |
86 |
.341 |
| 1972 |
Pittsburgh |
102 |
378 |
68 |
118 |
19 |
7 |
10 |
60 |
.312 |
| M.L. |
Totals |
2433 |
9454 |
1416 |
3000 |
440 |
166 |
240 |
1305 |
.317 |
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