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Roberto Clemente

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Roberto Clemente
Datei:Roberto Clemente Pirates.jpg
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Right fielder
Schlägt: Right Wirft: Right
Debüt in der Major League Baseball
April 17 1955 bei den Pittsburgh Pirates
Letzter MLB-Einsatz
October 3 1972 bei den Pittsburgh Pirates
Batting average   0,317
Hits  3,000
Home runs  240
Runs batted in  1,305
Teams

Mitglied der
Baseball Hall of Fame
Aufgenommen  1973
Quote  92.7% (first ballot)

Roberto Clemente Walker (August 18, 1934 – December 31, 1972) was a Puerto Rican ball player whose Major League career comprised the 18 seasons stretching from 1955 through 1972, all of them played with the Pittsburgh Pirates, primarily as a right fielder. Clemente was awarded the National League (NL) Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award in 1966. He was on the NL All-Star team 15 times, received 12 Gold Glove Awards, and led the NL in batting average four times. In 1972, Clemente got his 3,000th major league hit.

Off the field, Clemente was involved in charity work in Puerto Rico and other Latin American countries, often delivering baseball equipment and food to those in need. He died in an aviation accident on December 31, 1972, while en route to deliver aid to earthquake victims in Nicaragua. Clemente was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame posthumously in 1973, becoming the first Latin American to be selected and one of only four current Hall of Fame members for whom the mandatory five-year waiting period has been waived.[1][2] Besides being the first Hispanic player to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, Clemente is also the first Hispanic to win a World Series as a starter (1960), receive an MVP Award (1966), and receive a World Series MVP Award (1971).

Early life

Roberto Clemente was born in Carolina, Puerto Rico, to Don Melchor Clemente and Luisa Walker. He was the youngest of seven siblings, having four brothers and two sisters. During his childhood, Don Melchor worked as foreman of the sugar crops located in the municipality.[3] The family's resources were limited and Roberto had to work to earn money; this work included delivering milk cans to the family's neighbors.

Clemente demonstrated interest in baseball early in his life and would often play against neighboring barrios. He studied at Vizcarondo High School, a public school located in Carolina. One day during his freshman year, Roberto was playing in Barrio San Anton when a part-time employee of the Sello Rojo Rice Company happened to drive by. Stopping for a closer look, Roberto Marin liked what he saw and promptly recruited Clemente to play softball with the Sello Rojo team.[4] He was with the team two years, playing shortstop. Clemente joined Puerto Rico's amateur baseball league when he was sixteen years old; while there, he played for the Ferdinand Juncos team, which represented the municipality of Juncos.[5]

Baseball career

In July 1952, at the urging of Roberto Marin, Clemente attended a clinic/tryout camp jointly sponsored by the Brooklyn Dodgers and Santurce Crabbers, conducted by Dodger scout Al Campanis.[6][7] Thoroughly impressed by this unheralded five-tool prospect (who far outshone all other candidates),[8][9][10][11][12][13] Campanis later claimed he would have signed Clemente on the spot were it not for Melchor Clemente's insistence that his son finish high school.[14]

It should be noted that Campanis' retrospective claims, regarding both the young Clemente's abilities and his own inclinations, are supported by the contemporary evidence - i.e. the scout's original 1952 report, as reproduced in Maraniss' 2006 bio. Clemente got high marks across the board: + for speed, A for fielding, A for hitting (accompanied, however, by the note, "turns head but improving," alerting us to a flaw which, as we will see, would go uncorrected – and perhaps even unaddressed – until more than a year into Clemente's big league career), A plus for arm strength and A plus for power.[15] In any event, suffice to say that Campanis did not forget Clemente; by the end of the following winter ball season, Brooklyn would be just one of several major league clubs looking to sign the young phenom.

In the meantime, though, Marin was not discouraged. He continued to advocate on his protégé's behalf, reaching out to Santurce's owner, Pedrín Zorilla, repeatedly - first engineering a meeting between Zorilla and Clemente, and later arranging for Zorilla to see the young man in action. [16][17][18] On October 9, 1952,[19] Marin's efforts were rewarded when Pedrín Zorilla offered Clemente a contract with the Santurce Crabbers of the LBBPR.[20]

A bench player during his first campaign, Clemente was promoted to the team's starting lineup the following season. He responded by batting .288 as the team's leadoff hitter,[21] and by season's end, on February 19, 1954,[22] Zorilla had signed Clemente to a contract with the Brooklyn Dodgers' Triple-A affiliate, the Montreal Royals.[23]

Soon after, Clemente moved to Montreal to start his North American career. The transition to cold weather and unfamiliar languages was not seamless, to be sure, but ultimately, the homesick Puerto Rican derived both comfort and counsel from his bilingual teammates, Joe Black and Chico Fernandez.[24]

On June 1st, Clyde Sukeforth, a coach for the Pittsburgh Pirates, arrived in Richmond,[25] where the Royals were about to start a 5-game series. He'd been sent by Pittsburgh's GM Branch Rickey to evaluate Clemente's teammate Joe Black,[26][27] a pitcher Rickey himself had originally signed for the Dodgers [28] and was now thinking of reacquiring for Pittsburgh.[29] However, as Sukeforth would later tell The Sporting News, "I saw Clemente and forgot all about Black." [30] Sukeforth noticed that Clemente was being used as a bench player for the team and discussed the possibility of drafting Clemente to the Pirates with the team's manager, Max Macon.[31] The Pirates selected Clemente as the first selection of the rookie draft that took place on November 22, 1954.

Pittsburgh Pirates

Clemente debuted with the Pittsburgh Pirates on April 17, 1955 in the first game of a double header against the Brooklyn Dodgers.[32] At the beginning of his time with the Pirates, he experienced frustration because of racial tension with the local media and some teammates.[33][34] Clemente responded to this by stating, "I don’t believe in color".[35] He noted that, during his upbringing, he was taught to never discriminate against someone based on ethnicity.[35]

Back in December, Clemente had been involved in a car accident in Puerto Rico [36]; over the course of the season, this caused him to miss several games with an injury in his lower back.[37] He finished his rookie season with an average of .255, despite confronting trouble hitting certain types of pitches.[38] His defensive skills, however, were highlighted during this season.[39]

During the off season, Clemente played with the Santurce Crabbers in the Puerto Rican baseball winter league, where he was already considered a star.[40]The Pirates experienced several difficult seasons through the 1950s, although they did manage their first winning season since 1948 in 1959. During the winter season of 1958–59, Clemente didn't play winter baseball in Puerto Rico; instead, he joined the United States Marine Corps Reserve. He spent his six month active duty commitment at Parris Island, South Carolina, and Camp LeJeune in North Carolina. At Parris Island, Clemente received his basic training with Platoon 346 of the 3rd Recruit Battalion.[41] The rigorous training programs helped Clemente physically; he added strength by gaining ten pounds and said his back troubles had disappeared. He served in the Marine Corps Reserve until September 1964.[42][43][44]

This newfound strength and freedom from pain would manifest itself dramatically on May 17, 1959, in the final half inning of a Sunday afternoon double header at Chicago's Wrigley Field, wherein Clemente produced a home run of historic proportions,[45] one of only two in the stadium's history which even came close to hitting its distant right centerfield scoreboard, this one missing by about 20 feet to the left (in other words, just about dead center) on its way out of Wrigley onto or beyond the intersection of Waveland and Sheffield Avenues,[46] estimated at 565 feet by Clemente himself [47] and described as the longest ever seen by an assortment of Wrigley Field residents - i.e. shortstop Ernie Banks,[48] batting coach Rogers Hornsby,[49] manager Bob Scheffing,[50] and broadcaster Jack Brickhouse.[51]

The 1960s

Datei:RobertoClementeStatueatPNCPark.jpg
A statue of Clemente stands outside of PNC Park in Pittsburgh.

Early in the 1960 season, Clemente was on fire, accumulating 25 RBIs in 27 games in the month of May, finishing the month at .353 to lead all National League batters. [52] Roberto's batting average stayed above the .300 mark throughout the course of the campaign; this, coupled with Clemente's unprecedented power display (and a season free of any major injuries), would combine to make 1960 his career year thus far.

In early August, Clemente suffered the injury making a spectacular catch of a vicious line drive off the bat of Willie Mays, robbing Mays of a lead-off, extra-base hit and thus helping prevent the visiting Giants from drawing first blood in the seventh inning of a scoreless contest (later called "the greatest game I ever played in," by Clemente's teammate Dick Groat) which would ultimately be decided in Pittsburgh's favor, 1-0. Unfortunately for Clemente, long gone by that time, the catch had involved running headfirst, full speed, into Forbes Field's unforgiving right field bricks,[53] inspiring Giants' beat writer Bob Stevens to proclaim, "The catch had to rank with the greatest of all time, as well as one of the most frightening to watch and painful to make."[54] Though collapsed in a heap at the wall, Clemente did somehow hold onto the ball, and, eventually, though wobbly, walked off the field under his own steam. His heroics would cost him five stitches to the chin [55] and five games out of his regular season.[56]

Though the team stumbled briefly in his absence, Clemente returned in plenty of time to help the Bucs sew up the National League pennant, which they'd do in late September, en route to a 95–59 finish. From there, they went on to defeat the power-laden New York Yankees in a seven-game Series, during which Clemente batted .310, hitting safely at least once in every game [57] (exactly one half of a streak which would be completed much more resoundingly eleven years later in The Great One's signature Series, i.e. the Pirates' 1971, come-from-behind, seven-game victory over Baltimore). In fact, the 1960 numbers are somewhat deceptive; of those nine hits, none were for extra bases, and three never left the infield.[58] Outside of a potentially game-changing but barely foul 'home run' off Whitey Ford in Game Six,[59] Clemente was generally kept off balance by Yankee hurlers. That being said, the last of those three infield hits would prove pivotal in Pittsburgh's decisive Game Seven victory.[60] Moreover, it took just one in-game glimpse of Clemente's already storied throwing prowess to put the fear of God into Yankee base-runners, a factor which contributed to more than one Pirate victory.[61]

Looking back at his regular season, Clemente's .314 batting average, 16 home runs, aggressive base-running and off-the-charts defense had earned him his first All-Star Game appearance; though not a starter, he made the most of his opportunity, barely missing a home run in his one at-bat.[62]

During 1961 spring training, Clemente tried to modify his batting technique by using a heavier bat in order to slow the speed of his swing, following advice from Pirates' batting coach George Sisler.[63] During the 1961 season, Clemente was selected as the starting right fielder for the National League in the All-Star game. In this game, he blasted a triple off the right centerfield fence on his first at-bat and scored the team's first run;[64] two innings later, his sacrifice fly would make it 2-0. Later still he'd be robbed on a long fly to center by Mickey Mantle.[65] In the end, however, after the American League had rallied late to tie and jumped ahead in the tenth, Clemente would top off the NL's come-from-behind win with a walk-off single off Hoyt Wilhelm, as Willie Mays scampered home with the fifth and deciding run in a wild, windswept affair.[66][67]

Following the season, he returned to Puerto Rico along with Orlando Cepeda, a native of Ponce who had just led the National League in home runs and RBI, thus inadvertently collaborating with first-time batting champion Clemente to give their mutual homeland a collective National League triple crown.[68] Upon their arrival in Puerto Rico, they were received by 18,000 people.

On November 14, 1964, Clemente married Vera Zabala. The ceremony took place in the church of San Fernando in Carolina and was attended by thousands of fans.[69]

During this time, Clemente was also involved in managing the Senadores de San Juan, for whom he also played part-time.[70] The following month, he was sidelined with a freak off-field leg injury, suffered while mowing his lawn in Río Piedras,[71] only to seriously aggravate that injury a few weeks later, while making an ill-advised pinch-hitting appearance in the winter league's All-Star game. [72] Carried off the field, Clemente would undergo surgery a few days later, bringing to abrupt end his winter ball season, and leaving the start of spring training, severely in doubt.[73]

Compounding Clemente's condition was a case of food poisoning, a previously injured ankle, and a bout with malaria! Not surprisingly, not only was Clemente's arrival in spring training significantly delayed;[74] his performance was affected as well. Moreover, these ill effects would persist long after spring training had come to an end.[75] On May 21st, after 31 games, the defending National League batting champion was hitting a paltry .235.

Clemente amassed 33 hits in his next 16 games, raising his average in the process almost 100 points to .326. By then, Clemente was on firm footing; he never again dipped below .319 and would finish the season at .329,[76] good for a second consecutive NL batting crown and his third in five years. Mixing business with pleasure, Roberto and Vera would celebrate the Great One's return to form in grand style when, on August 17, 1965 (just one day before Roberto's own birthday), their first son, Roberto Clemente, Jr., was born; he was the first of three children, along with Luis Roberto and Enrique Roberto.[77]

During the 1960s, Clemente batted over .300 in every year except 1968, when, thanks to yet another freak off-season injury (à la 1965),[78] he got off to the worst start of his major league career, hitting just .245 by the All-Star break, and doing well just to reach .291 by season's end.[79] Moreover, thanks to that slow start, 1968 would also prove to be the only season out of Clemente's final thirteen in which he did not make the NL All-Star squad [80] (he was selected in '72 but missed the game because of a heel injury).[81][82] There was, however, no corresponding interruption in Clemente's defensive prowess, nor, thus, in his unbroken string of Gold Glove Awards from 1961 onwards; he would also lead the league in outfield assists in four of those seasons (1960, '61, '64 and '67), having already done so in 1958.[83] He led the National League in batting average four times (1961, 1964, 1965, and 1967), led the National League in hits twice (1964 and 1967), and won the Most Valuable Player award in the 1966 season,[84] when he hit .317 while setting career highs in home runs (29) and RBI (119).[85] In 1967, he registered a career high .357 average along with twenty-three home runs and 110 runs batted in.[86]

The 1970s

Vorlage:External media The 1970 season was the last one that the Pittsburgh Pirates played in Forbes Field before moving to Three Rivers Stadium; for Clemente, abandoning this stadium was an emotional situation. The Pirates' final game at Forbes Field took place on June 28, 1970. That day, Clemente noted that it was hard to play in a different field, saying, "I spent half my life there".[87] The night of July 4, 1970, was declared "Roberto Clemente Night"; on this day, several Puerto Rican fans traveled to Three Rivers Stadium and cheered Clemente while wearing traditional Puerto Rican indumentary. A ceremony to honor Clemente took place, during which he received a scroll with 300,000 signatures compiled in Puerto Rico, and several thousands of dollars were donated to charity work following Clemente's request.[88][89]

During the 1970 campaign, Clemente compiled an average of .352; the Pirates won the National League East but were subsequently eliminated by the Cincinnati Reds. In the offseason, Clemente experienced some tense situations while he was working as manager of the Senadores and when his father, Melchor Clemente, experienced medical problems and had to undergo surgery.[90]

In 1971, the Pirates repeated as Eastern Division winners, and this time, after more than a decade of frustration, Clemente and the Pirates finally made it back to the World Series, taking 3 out of 4 from the San Francisco Giants to capture the National League Championship, with Clemente's throwing prowess, timely hitting and heads-up base-running leading the way in the decisive victory.[91] Speaking with reporters after the game, Clemente took the opportunity to pay tribute to his illustrious opponent, longtime role model and onetime mentor, Willie Mays. When asked whether he concurred with Pirates owner John Galbreath's assertion that Clemente was "the greatest," the Pirates' right fieldier replied: 'How do you measure a man? How can you compare one man with another unless you’ve seen them both? I cannot tell about other men who played long ago. I saw Mays. To me, Willie Mays is the greatest who ever played. But he is forty and has had his days – he is tired. San Francisco is all tired. For them it was not easy. For twenty days, they were in a tight pennant race and don’t know where they are. Mentally, they were going to be tight. You could see Mays is tired."[92]

Not the least bit tired was Pittsburgh's World Series opponent; for a third consecutive year, Baltimore had won over a hundred games [93] and swept the ALCS.[94][95][96] The Orioles won the first two games in the series, but Pittsburgh won the championship in seven games. This marked the second occasion that Clemente had won a World Series with the Pirates. Over the course of the series, Clemente had 12 hits in 29 at-bats for a .414 average, performed well defensively, and hit a solo home run in the deciding 2–1 seventh game victory.[97] Following the conclusion of the season, he received the World Series Most Valuable Player award. Struggling with injuries, Clemente only managed to appear in 102 games in 1972, but he still hit .312 for his final .300 season.[97] On September 30, in a game at Three Rivers Stadium, he hit a double off Jon Matlack of the New York Mets for his 3,000th hit.[98] 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.[97] In the playoffs, he batted .235 as he went 4 for 17. His last game ever was at Cincinnati's Riverfront Stadium in the fifth game of the playoff series. He and Bill Mazeroski were the last Pirate players remaining from the 1960 World Series champions.

Death in airplane accident

Clemente spent much of his time during the off-season involved in charity work. When Managua, the capital city of Nicaragua, was affected by a massive earthquake on Saturday December 23, 1972, Clemente (who had been visiting Managua three weeks before the quake) immediately set to work arranging emergency relief flights.[99] He soon learned, however, that the aid packages on the first three flights had been diverted by corrupt officials of the Somoza government, never reaching victims of the quake.[100]

Clemente decided to accompany the fourth relief flight, hoping that his presence would ensure that the aid would be delivered to the survivors.[101] The airplane he chartered for a New Year's Eve flight, a Douglas DC-7, had a history of mechanical problems and sub-par flight personnel, and it was overloaded by 4,200 pounds.[102] It crashed into the ocean off the coast of Isla Verde, Puerto Rico immediately after takeoff on Sunday December 31, 1972.[103] A few days after the crash, the body of the pilot and part of the fuselage of the plane were found. An empty flight case apparently belonging to Clemente was the only personal item recovered from the plane. Clemente's teammate and close friend Manny Sanguillen was the only member of the Pirates not to attend Roberto's memorial service. The catcher chose instead to dive into the waters where Clemente's plane had crashed in an effort to find his teammate. Clemente's body was never recovered.[103]

At the time of his death, Clemente had established several records with the Pirates, including most triples in a game (three) and hits in two consecutive games (ten).[104] These include tying the record for most Gold Glove Awards won among outfielders with twelve, which he shares with Willie Mays.[105] He also is the only player to have hit a walk-off inside-the-park grand slam.[106] He accomplished this historic baseball-event on July 25, 1956 in a 9–8 Pittsburgh win against the Chicago Cubs, at Forbes Field. In addition, he was one of four players to have ten or more Gold Gloves and a lifetime batting average of .317.

Posthumous honors

Roberto Clemente Coliseum

Vorlage:MLBBioRet On March 20, 1973, the Baseball Writers Association of America held a special election for the Baseball Hall of Fame. They voted to waive the waiting period for Clemente, due to the circumstances of his death, and posthumously elected him for induction into the Hall of Fame, giving him 393 of the 420 available votes, or 92% of the vote. Ironically (if fittingly, given the media's frequent - and unwelcome - Americanization of Clemente's given name during his life), his Hall of Fame plaque read "Roberto Walker Clemente"; in 2000, the plaque would finally be recast to express his name in the proper Hispanic format, "Roberto Clemente Walker".[107] In a more bittersweet bit of irony, Roberto would enter the Hall, albeit posthumously, alongside both his boyhood hero, Monte Irvin,[108] and one of his most respected adversaries, Warren Spahn (called by Clemente the toughest left-handed pitcher he'd ever faced, outside of Sandy Koufax [109]).[110]

MLB presents the Roberto Clemente Award every year to the player who best follows Clemente's example with humanitarian work.[111] In 1973, Clemente was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal and the first Presidential Citizens Medal. In 2002, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In 2003, he was inducted into the United States Marine Corps Sports Hall of Fame.[44] On October 26, 2005, Clemente was named a member of Major League Baseball's Latino Legends Team.[112] At the Major League Baseball All-Star game in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on July 11, 2006, many of the players on both teams wore yellow wristbands with the initials "RCW" in honor of Clemente. At the end of the fourth inning, Clemente was awarded the Commissioner's Historical Achievement Award by the Commissioner of Baseball; the award was accepted by his widow.[113] During the award presentation, the Commissioner of Baseball Bud Selig stated that "Roberto was a hero in every sense of the term".[113]

PNC Park, the home ballpark of the Pirates which opened in 2001, includes a right field wall Vorlage:Convert high, in reference to Clemente's uniform number and his normal fielding position during his years with the Pirates.[114] The Pirates originally erected a statue in memory of Clemente at Three Rivers Stadium, an honor previously awarded to Honus Wagner. The statue was moved to PNC Park when it opened, and stands at the corner near the Roberto Clemente Bridge. An identical smaller statue was unveiled in Newark, New Jersey's Branch Brook Park in 2012.[115] The team considered naming PNC Park after Clemente, but despite popular sentiment the team chose instead to sell the naming rights to locally-based PNC Financial Services, with the bridge being renamed after him considered a compromise.[116]

Presidential Medal of Freedom

Puerto Rico has honored Clemente's memory by naming the coliseum in San Juan the Roberto Clemente Coliseum; two baseball parks are in Carolina, the professional one, Roberto Clemente Stadium, and the Double-A. There is also the Escuela de los Deportes (School of Sports) that has the Double-A baseball park. Today, this sports complex is called Ciudad Deportiva Roberto Clemente.[117] 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.[118] The City of Pittsburgh maintains Roberto Clemente Memorial Park along North Shore Drive in the city's North Side which includes a bronze relief by sculptor Eleanor Milleville. In 2007, the Roberto Clemente Museum opened in the Lawrenceville section of Pittsburgh.[119] Near the old Forbes Field where he began his pro career the city of Pittsburgh has renamed a street in his honor. In 1973, the state of New York opened Roberto Clemente State Park in The Bronx.[120] Some schools, such as Roberto Clemente High School in Chicago, Illinois the Roberto Clemente Charter School in Allentown, Pennsylvania and Roberto Clemente Academy in Detroit, Michigan, were named in his honor.[121] Clemente was inducted into the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum Hall of Fame. There's also a Roberto Clemente Stadium in Masaya, Nicaragua. There's also a middle school in Germantown, Maryland called Roberto W. Clemente Middle School

On August 17, 1984, the day before what would have been his 50th birthday, the United States Postal Service issued a postage stamp honoring Clemente.[122] Designed by Juan Lopez-Bonilla, the spare clean design shows Clemente wearing his Pirates cap, with the Puerto Rican flag in the background. In 1999, he ranked Number 20 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, the highest-ranking Latino player on the list.[123] Later that year, Clemente was nominated as a finalist for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team.[124]

On August 22, 2007, as part of the Golden Anniversary of the Rawlings Gold Glove Award, Clemente was selected to the All-Time Rawlings Gold Glove Team,[125] joining his onetime mentor, Willie Mays,[126] and his indirect disciple, Ken Griffey Jr.,[127] in an All-Time outfield embodying four generations of defensive mastery.

Clemente's #21 remains active in Major League Baseball, and is worn by multiple players. Sammy Sosa wore #21 throughout his career as a tribute to his childhood hero.[128] The number is unofficially retired in the Puerto Rico Baseball League. While the topic of retiring #21 throughout Major League Baseball like Jackie Robinson's #42 has been broached, and supported by groups such as Hispanics Across America, Jackie Robinson's daughter disagrees, believing that Major League Baseball should honor him another way.[129]

Biographies and documentaries

Clemente's life has been the subject of numerous books, articles and documentaries. David Maraniss wrote a book titled Clemente: The Passion and Grace of Baseball's Last Hero, which was published in 2006. Clemente is also the subject of a one-hour biography as part of the Public Broadcasting Service history series, American Experience which premiered on April 21, 2008.[130] The film is directed by Bernardo Ruiz, narrated by Jimmy Smits and features interviews with Vera Clemente, Orlando Cepeda and George F. Will.[130] The production received an ALMA Award. In 2011 21: The Story of Roberto Clemente was released, a graphic novel by Wilfred Santiago detailing Clemente's life in a comic-book format. In their USA Today Magazine article titled "Saluting Pittsburgh's Finest" Richard E. Vatz and Lee S. Weinberg said Clemente was "arguably the best in the history of the game" and stated that "understanding the magnitude of Roberto Clemente requires an appreciation of the gestalt of his presence, which was greater than the sum of his statistics".[131]

A movie called Chasing 3000 was created based on a true story of two kids named Mickey (played by Ray Liotta, Trevor Morgan and Blake Woodyard) and Roger (played by Jay Karnes, Rory Culkin and Nicholas Brady) as they go on an adventure to travel across the United States to see Roberto Clemente's 3000th hit.

See also

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References and Notes

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  1. ↑ In truth, Clemente's case was utterly unlike that of the other three, Bill Dickey, Joe DiMaggio and Ted Lyons, for whom the process was little more than a formality, addressing their retroactive disqualification from HOF consideration caused by the 1954 increase from a 1- to a 5-year waiting period. See Wikipedia - Joe Dimaggio: The Yankee Clipper and "Three Elected to Hall of Fame," The Rochester News-Sentinel (Thursday, January 21, 1954), p. 8
  2. ↑ Lou Gehrig is often paired with Clemente as one for whom the 5-year waiting period was waived, and in light of his tragic illness, premature demise, and expedited HOF induction, Gehrig would certainly seem a no-brainer, were it not for the fact that there was no waiting period at the time of Gehrig's induction in 1939, nor would there be until 1946, and then only a 1-year wait, with the current 5-year period, as already mentioned, not showing up until 1954. See Wikipedia - National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum: Selection Process: "Contrary to popular belief, no formal exception was made for Lou Gehrig, other than to hold a special one-man election for him. There was no waiting period at that time and Gehrig met all other qualifications, so he would have been eligible for the next regular election after he retired during the 1939 season, but the BBWAA decided to hold a special election at the 1939 Winter Meetings in Cincinnati, specifically to elect Gehrig (most likely because it was known that he was terminally ill, making it uncertain that he would live long enough to see another election)."
  3. ↑ Paul Robert Walker: Pride of Puerto Rico: The life of Roberto Clemente. Harcourt Brace & Company, United States 1988, ISBN 0-15-307557-0, The way of the Jibaro, S. 3: „Roberto's father,Don Melchor Clemente, worked as foreman in the sugar fields.“
  4. ↑ Bruce Markusen: Roberto Clemente: The Great One. Sports Publishing, Inc, United States 1998, ISBN 1-57167-244-3, Beginnings to Brooklyn, S. 6: „By 14, Roberto had joined his first full-fledged league... A part-time high school teacher named Roberto Marin had recruited Clemente after watching him play a pick-up game... 'Marin was a salesman,' says Luis Mayoral, 'he sold rice for the Sello Rojo Company. And as a salesman for Sello Rojo, he would travel to different parts of the island... One day driving around San Anton, he stopped to take a look at the kids. He saw this one kid in particular – who turned out to be Roberto – and just by watching him for a few minutes, he saw the athletic abilities that Roberto had. And that led Marin to contact Roberto and ask him to play softball on the team sponsored by Sello Rojo Rice.“
  5. ↑ Paul Robert Walker: Pride of Puerto Rico: The life of Roberto Clemente. Harcourt Brace & Company, United States 1988, ISBN 0-15-307557-0, Where Are You Going, Momen?, S. 20: „When he was sixteen, he played for the Ferdinand Juncos team in the Puerto Rican amateur league.“
  6. ↑ Phil Musick: Who Was Roberto? A Biography of Roberto Clemente. Doubleday & Company Inc., United States 1974, ISBN 0-385-08421-8, Too Slow for Short, S. 65: „In July, Roberto Marin told the seventeen-year-old Clemente something else he found difficult to believe. 'I told him that to me, he looked better than the professional outfielders here in the winter league' Marin said. 'I told him I was going to take him to a tryout that a Brooklyn Dodger scout was going to hold in Santurce.'“
  7. ↑ Kal Wagenheim: Clemente. Praeger Publishers, United States 1973, ISBN 0-275-19670-4, Clemente Was Right At His Heels!, S. 45: „'By the 1950’s I had established good relations with the Brooklyn Dodgers – with Mr. O’Malley, with Mr. Bavasi, with Alex Campanis, one of their scouts – and the Dodgers and our Santurce club in 1952 organized a tryout camp for young players in Sixto Escobar Stadium.'“
  8. ↑ Jay Feldman: “Roberto Clemente Went to Bat for All Latino Ballplayers,” The Smithsonian (September 1993), p. 132-133. "'We started with the outfielders. They lined up in center field and we hit fungoes to them, about 270 feet from home plate. The first outfielder threw, the second – below-average arms. The third man – I didn’t know his name yet – threw a dart on one bounce to third base. Threw the hell out of the ball. Then he threw another... Then we had the timed races – 60 yards. Everybody’s running about 7.2, 7.3, which is average major league time. Then Clemente came and ran a 6.4-plus. That’s a track man’s time! And in a baseball uniform!'"
  9. ↑ Phil Musick: Reflections on Roberto. Pittsburgh Associates DBA Pittsburgh Pirates, United States 1994, ISBN 0-9641355-0-7, The Greatest Natural Athlete I Ever Saw, S. 43: „Hell, the world’s record then was only 6.1. I couldn’t believe it.“
  10. ↑ Jay Feldman: “Roberto Clemente Went to Bat for All Latino Ballplayers,” The Smithsonian (September 1993), p. 132-133. "'I asked him to run again, and he was even a little faster. He could fly!'"
  11. ↑ Phil Musick: Reflections on Roberto. Pittsburgh Associates DBA Pittsburgh Pirates, United States 1994, ISBN 0-9641355-0-7, The Greatest Natural Athlete I Ever Saw, S. 43: 'The only one I asked to hit was Roberto Clemente. He hit for 20, 25 minutes. I’m behind the cage, and I’m saying to myself, we gotta sign this guy if he can just hold the bat in his hands.'
  12. ↑ Jay Feldman: “Roberto Clemente Went to Bat for All Latino Ballplayers,” The Smithsonian (September 1993), p. 132-133. "'He got up to the plate, and he was hitting nothing but ropes – over the left-field fence, over the right-field fence… line drives!'"
  13. ↑ Phil Musick: Reflections on Roberto. Pittsburgh Associates DBA Pittsburgh Pirates, United States 1994, ISBN 0-9641355-0-7, The Greatest Natural Athlete I Ever Saw, S. 43: 'I notice the way he’s standing in the box, and I figure there’s no way he can reach the outside of the plate. So I tell the pitcher to pitch him outside, and the kid swings with both feet off the ground and hits line drives to right and sharp ground balls up the middle. How could I miss him? He was the greatest natural athlete I have ever seen as a free agent.'
  14. ↑ Arnold Hano: Roberto Clemente: Batting King. G.P.Putnam's Sons, United States, ISBN 0-399-20375-3, Hmm, Sounds Familiar, S. 20: „When the one-man show ended, Campanis suggested the boy join the Dodger farm system. Clemente's father turned down the idea. He wanted Roberto to finish high school.“
  15. ↑ David Maraniss: Clemente: The Passion and Grace of America's Last Hero. Simon & Schuster, United States 2006, ISBN 0-7432-1781-0, Where Momen Came From, S. 27: „Name: CLEMENTE ROBERT [sic], Arm: A+, good carry; Accuracy: A; Fielding: A, good at this stage; Reactions: A; Hitting: A, turns head but improving, Power: A+; Running Speed: +; Base Running: A; Definite Prospect? YES“
  16. ↑ Kal Wagenheim: Clemente. Praeger Publishers, United States 1973, ISBN 0-275-19670-4, He's an Unpolished Gem, S. 25–26: „Roberto and I drove out to see Pedrin. Roberto was very quiet, didn’t say a word. Pedrin took a look at him and said, ‘Caramba, what a pair of hands!’ The truth is, Roberto had huge hands. I always used to kid him that he was one of the few persons I knew who could wash his face and his head at the same time with just one hand! ‘He’s an unpolished gem,’ I told Pedrin. They didn’t offer much to young players in those days and Roberto had no record to show. ‘I’d like to see him on the field,’ Pedrin said, so I wrote down Roberto’s name on a piece of paper, gave it to him, and said he could use it whenever he liked.“
  17. ↑ Kal Wagenheim: Clemente. Praeger Publishers, United States 1973, ISBN 0-275-19670-4, Clemente Was Right At His Heels!, S. 45: „'... the Dodgers and our Santurce club in 1952 organized a tryout camp for young players in Sixto Escobar Stadium. The park was filled with young men, and among them was Roberto Clemente. We saw that he had a strong arm, hit hard, but we never imagined what he would do later. He was still just a boy, and we lost track of him. Some months later, a good friend of mine, Roberto Marin, reminded me that I should see Roberto Clemente, who was playing with Juncos in the Double A Amateur League.'“
  18. ↑ Howard Cohn: “Roberto Clemente’s Problem,” Sport (May 1962), p. 54. "I’d forgotten all about him [when] I see this amateur-league kid wallop a 400-foot triple, two long doubles, and throw a man out at third from deep center field with as perfect a throw as anyone could ask for. ‘Who is that boy?’ I asked. ‘Clemente,’ someone said. ‘Why, that’s the one I’ve been hearing so much about,' I said."
  19. ↑ Kal Wagenheim: Clemente. Praeger Publishers, United States 1973, ISBN 0-275-19670-4, Clemente Was Right At His Heels!, S. 46: „Not long after that, on October 9, 1952, we signed Roberto to a contract on the Santurce Crabbers for a $400 bonus and $40 per week.“
  20. ↑ Paul Robert Walker: Pride of Puerto Rico: The life of Roberto Clemente. Harcourt Brace & Company, United States 1988, ISBN 0-15-307557-0, Tell the Man I Will Sign, S. 25: "Well, Marin," said señor Zorilla, "we can give him $400 bonus and maybe $ 40.00 a week until he learns to wear a uniform."
  21. ↑ Thomas E. Van Hyning, Eduardo Valero: Puerto Rico's Winter League: A History of Major League Baseball's Launching Pad. McFarland & Company, Inc., United States 1995, ISBN 0-7864-1970-9, Roberto Clemente, #21, S. 55: „'Clemente was just a kad,' recalls Hunter.'I don't think he got that much playing time.' Buster Clarkson brought the rookie along slowly... Clemente was ready to crack the starting lineup by the time October 1953 rolled around. He played in 66 of the team's 80 games and hit .288, sixth-best league average.“
  22. ↑ Kal Wagenheim: Clemente. Praeger Publishers, United States 1973, ISBN 0-275-19670-4, Clemente Was Right At His Heels!, S. 46: „The next year I signed him for Brooklyn...“
  23. ↑ Paul Robert Walker: Pride of Puerto Rico: The life of Roberto Clemente. Harcourt Brace & Company, United States 1988, ISBN 0-15-307557-0, Wearing the Uniform, S. 33: "Roberto," said Pedrin Zorilla, "I have spoken with Mr. Campanis. The Dodgers would like to sign you to a contract with their Triple-A team in Montreal. They will pay you a signing bonus of $10,000 and a salary of $5,000 for the year"
  24. ↑ Bruce Markusen: Roberto Clemente: The Great One. Sports Publishing, Inc, United States 1998, ISBN 1-57167-244-3, Hidden in Montreal, S. 22: „For the most part, Clemente socialized with only two of his Royals teammates. 'Chico Fernandez, Roberto and myself, the three of us palled around,' Joe Black says. 'We went out to eat, we went to movies together, we laughed and joked.'“
  25. ↑ Lloyd McGowan, “Macon’s Royals Register: Top Richmond A la Grant – Amoros Hits,” The Montreal Star (Wednesday, June 2, 1954), p. 36. "Clyde Sukeforth, once a Royal General, said the Amoros homer came off a high fastball."
  26. ↑ Les Biederman: “Clemente, Early Buc Ace, Says He’s Better in Summer: Puerto Rican Thrills Fans With Throws,” The Sporting News (June 29, 1955), p. 26. "Sukeforth, a Bucco coach, was sent to Richmond, Va., last June to get a look at pitcher Joe Black of Montreal."
  27. ↑ Donald Honig, A Donald Honig reader (New York, Simon and Schuster, 1988), pp.145-147, reprinted from Baseball When the Grass Was Real: Baseball from the Twenties to the Forties Told by the Men Who Played It (New York; Coward, McCann & Geoghegan, 1975). "One day during the 1954 season Mr. Rickey called me into his office. ‘The Dodgers have sent Joe Black to Montreal,’ he said. ‘Montreal is opening a five-game series with Richmond, in Richmond. I want you to go there and stay until Black pitches. Look him over. We might be able to make a deal for him.’"
  28. ↑ Murray Polner: Branch Rickey: A Biography. McFarland & Co, United States 2007, ISBN 0-7864-2643-8, S. 191: „The Elites owner expressed interest in the sale but sent McConnell back with a counterproposal; Baltimore had debts and needed a new bus; make it $5,000 and he would throw in a pitcher as well, a right-hander named Joe Black.“
  29. ↑ Les Biederman: “Clemente, Early Buc Ace, Says He’s Better in Summer: Puerto Rican Thrills Fans With Throws,” The Sporting News (June 29, 1955), p. 26. "The Pirates and Dodgers were talking about a Sid Gordon trade and the Bucs asked for Black in the Deal but wanted a first hand report on how he looked."
  30. ↑ Les Biederman: “Hats Off,” The Sporting News (June 20, 1956), p. 19
  31. ↑ Paul Robert Walker: Pride of Puerto Rico: The life of Roberto Clemente. Harcourt Brace & Company, United States 1988, ISBN 0-15-307557-0, It's For Your Own Good, S. 41: "I noticed you haven’t been playing Clemente much." Sukeforth smiled across the dinner table at Max Macon. The two men had known each other for years. There was no sense in trying to fool each other. "Well, I don’t care if you never play him" continued the Pittsburgh scout. "We’re going to finish last, and we’re going to draft him number one."
  32. ↑ Paul Robert Walker: Pride of Puerto Rico: The life of Roberto Clemente. Harcourt Brace & Company, United States 1988, ISBN 0-15-307557-0, I play like Roberto Clemente: „It was Sunday, April 17, 1955, and the Pittsburgh Pirates were playing the first game of a double-header against the Brooklyn Dodgers.[...] For Roberto Clemente it was his first time at bat in the major leagues.“
  33. ↑ Paul Robert Walker: Pride of Puerto Rico: The life of Roberto Clemente. Harcourt Brace & Company, United States 1988, ISBN 0-15-307557-0, I play like Roberto Clemente: „Even on his own team, some of the players made fun of him and called him a "nigger." Roberto grew furious at their insults.“
  34. ↑ Paul Robert Walker: Pride of Puerto Rico: The life of Roberto Clemente. Harcourt Brace & Company, United States 1988, ISBN 0-15-307557-0, I play like Roberto Clemente: „There were other insults as well. In the newspapers, the writers called him a "Puerto Rican hot dog." When they quoted the things he said they exaggerated his accent.“
  35. ↑ a b Paul Robert Walker: Pride of Puerto Rico: The life of Roberto Clemente. Harcourt Brace & Company, United States 1988, ISBN 0-15-307557-0, I play like Roberto Clemente: "I don’t believe in color," Roberto said. "I believe in people. I always respect everyone and thanks to God my mother and my father taught me never to hate, never to dislike someone based of their color.
  36. ↑ David Maraniss; Clemente: The Passion and Grace of Baseball's Last Hero (New York, Simon & Schuster, 2006), page 152
  37. ↑ Paul Robert Walker: Pride of Puerto Rico: The life of Roberto Clemente. Harcourt Brace & Company, United States 1988, ISBN 0-15-307557-0, I play like Roberto Clemente: „To make matters worse, Roberto had to sit out many games because of pain in his lower back. During the winter, a drunken driver had rammed into his car at sixty miles per hour.“
  38. ↑ Paul Robert Walker: Pride of Puerto Rico: The life of Roberto Clemente. Harcourt Brace & Company, United States 1988, ISBN 0-15-307557-0, I play like Roberto Clemente: „Roberto continued to struggle at the plate throughout his rookie season, finally finishing with a .255 average.“
  39. ↑ Paul Robert Walker: Pride of Puerto Rico: The life of Roberto Clemente. Harcourt Brace & Company, United States 1988, ISBN 0-15-307557-0, I play like Roberto Clemente: „In the outfield, however, he quickly established himself as an outstanding performer.“
  40. ↑ Paul Robert Walker: Pride of Puerto Rico: The life of Roberto Clemente. Harcourt Brace & Company, United States 1988, ISBN 0-15-307557-0, I play like Roberto Clemente: „Once again he was playing for the Santurce Crabbers. In the winter league he was an established star.“
  41. ↑ "Clemente, The Passion and Grace of Baseball's Last Hero"; By: David Maraniss; pag. 88; Publisher: Simon & Schuster; ISBN 978-0-7432-1781-1
  42. ↑ Clemente to Start Six-Month Marine Corps Hitch, October 4,. The Sporting News, 24. September 1958, S. 7.
  43. ↑ Buc Flyhawk Now Marine Rookie. The Sporting News, 19. November 1958, S. 13.
  44. ↑ a b Marine Corps Sports Hall of Fame: Roberto Clemente. Abgerufen am 17. Dezember 2007.
  45. ↑ BaseballReference - Historic 500-plus-foot Wrigley scoreboard near miss
  46. ↑ "BBTF's Newsblog Discussion:: Kallas Remarks: YES, CLEMENTE REALLY DID HAVE EXCELLENT POWER!!!" Comment #12, posted: December 30, 2008 at 10:58 AM by 'Hack Wilson'. "I remember the ball Clemente hit at Wrigley, it was to the leftfield side of the scoreboard, the camera work on that ball was poor (one camera still?). It seemed to me that if it was hit 20 feet toward center it would have hit near the bottom of the scoreboard. References to the homer say it landed on Waveland, but based on its trajectory (no I'm not a marksman) I think it would have gone over Waveland and landed on Sheffield (okay I haven't seen a replay in almost 50 years)."
  47. ↑ David Maraniss: Clemente: The Passion and Grace of America's Last Hero. Simon & Schuster, United States 2006, ISBN 0-7432-1781-0, Pride and Prejudice, S. 160: 'That remind me, I hit 565 foote hum-rum in Chicaga last year; the bol' disappear from centerfield, and Raj Hornsby tell me it longest drive he ever saw hit out of Wrigley Field.' [sic - as transcribed by Bill Nunn, Jr. in the Pittsburgh Courier of June 25, 1960
  48. ↑ Ernie Banks: "The Wonderful World of Ernie Banks: Clemente Toughest in Banks’ Opinion," The Chicago Tribune (July 6, 1969), p. B1. "Some of you fans may remember the ball he knocked out of Wrigley a few seasons ago, just to the left field side of the scoreboard. That’s the longest one I’ve seen hit there and we all agreed it must have traveled more than 500 feet on its trip into Waveland Avenue.."
  49. ↑ Les Biederman: "Tape Measure Homer Belted by Clemente at Wrigley Field," The Sporting News (May 27, 1959), p. 10. "Rogers Hornsby, the Cubs' batting coach, said it was the longest he ever witnessed * and [Cubs' skipper] Bob Scheffing agreed it was No. 1 in his book."
  50. ↑ See TSN Rogers Hornsby reference above.
  51. ↑ Paul E. Sussman: "Mantle: All-Time King of Tape-Measure Homers!" Baseball Digest (June 1982), p. 47. "Retired Cub sportscaster Jack Brickhouse, who saw [Dave Kingman's] home run, revealed that the ball was greatly helped by a strong wind of about 35 miles per hour. Brickhouse estimated Kingman's blast in reality went about 500 feet. In fact, Brickhouse stated Kingman's drive was not the longest ball he had ever seen. A 500-foot blast by the late Roberto Clemente remains the hardest hit ball Brickhouse has seen which was not aided by the wind."
  52. ↑ Paul Robert Walker: Pride of Puerto Rico: The life of Roberto Clemente. Harcourt Brace & Company, United States 1988, ISBN 0-15-307557-0, Beat 'Em, Bucs!, S. 63: „In May, while the Pirates were fighting the San Francisco Giants for first place, Roberto drove in 25 runs in 27 games. By the end of the month he was leading the league with a batting average of .353 and the Pirates were ahead of the Giants by one and a half games.“
  53. ↑ Lester J. Biederman: "Pirates Win 'Finest Game: Mizell, Clemente, Virdon 'Brilliant,' Giants Beaten, 1-0," The Pittsburgh Press (Saturday, August 6, 1960), p. 6
  54. ↑ Bob Stevens: “Spectacular Game: Virdon Circles Bases on Error,” The San Francisco Chronicle (August 6, 1960), p. 27
  55. ↑ Lester J. Biederman: "Pirates Win 'Finest Game: Mizell, Clemente, Virdon 'Brilliant,' Giants Beaten, 1-0," The Pittsburgh Press (Saturday, August 6, 1960), p. 6
  56. ↑ Paul Robert Walker: Pride of Puerto Rico: The life of Roberto Clemente. Harcourt Brace & Company, United States 1988, ISBN 0-15-307557-0, Beat 'Em, Bucs!, S. 64: „Roberto was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance. The doctors stitched up his jaw and he sat out the next five games waiting for it to heal“
  57. ↑ Juan Mercado: Roberto Clemente Un verdadero símbolo latinoamericano. [A] hora.com, abgerufen am 10. Dezember 2007.
  58. ↑ Robert W. Creamer: Stengel: His Life and Times. Simon and Schuster, United States 1984, ISBN 0-671-22489-1, S. 318: 'The effort he put into his work all through the Series showed up,' recalled Stengel, 'and it showed up there that he beat out three of those balls in the infield, and if he hadn’t I woulda finally have won [that] Series.'
  59. ↑ Associated Press: "Yanks Square Series With 12 to 0 Victory: Whitey Ford, NY's Big Guns Are Too Much," The Manitowoc Herald Times (Wednesday, October 13, 1960), pp. 1 and T-7. "Clemente brought a roar from the crowd with a long foul into the right field stands that narrowly missed being a home run. Clemente singled sharply into right field. Stuart struck out."
  60. ↑ Jerry Izenberg: Great Latin Sports Figures: The Proud People. Doubleday & Company, Inc., United States 1976, ISBN 0-385-12060-5, The Proud People, S. 3: „[Whitey] Ford recalls, 'Another thing I remember is the way he ran out a routine ground ball in the last game, and when we were a little slow covering, he beat it out. It was something most people forget, but it made the Pirates' victory possible.'“
  61. ↑ Ted Meier (AP): "UNSUNG STAR OF SERIES IS MR. CLEMENTE," The Gettysburg Times (Tuesday, Oct 11, 1960), p. 5
  62. ↑ AP Wirephoto: “One That Didn’t Get Away,” The Wisconsin State Journal (Tuesday, July 12, 1960), p. C1. “The Americans’ Jim Lemon goes back against the left field wall – dented by numerous hits – to make a spectacular catch of Roberto Clemente’s long smash in the ninth inning of Monday’s All-Star game in Kansas City.”
  63. ↑ Paul Robert Walker: Pride of Puerto Rico: The life of Roberto Clemente. Harcourt Brace & Company, United States 1988, ISBN 0-15-307557-0, Beat 'Em, Bucs!, S. 74: „Now, in the spring of 1961, he made another improvement. He began using a heavier bat to slow down his swing and make better contact with the ball.“
  64. ↑ Jack McDonald: “Senior Loop’s Five Errors Canceled by Clemente,” The Sporting News (July 19, 1961), p. 9. “The Nationals had scored first when Clemente ripped a triple 380 feet into right-center. It hit the fence after Maris had barely got his glove on the ball.”
  65. ↑ Edward Prell: “NATIONAL ALL-STARS WIN IN 10TH, 5-4; CLEMENTE SCORES MAYS WITH GAME WINNING SINGLE,” The Chicago Tribune (Wednesday, July 12, 1961), p. C2. “[In the sixth], Mantle went near the screen for Clemente’s drive.”
  66. ↑ Lester J. Biederman: "The Scoreboard: Clemente 'Misses' 2 Homers But Still Comes Out A Hero; Stiff Wind Also Draws Complaints From Maris, Kaline, Gentile, Boyer," The Pittsburgh Press (Wednesday, July 12, 1961), p. 47
  67. ↑ Paul Robert Walker: Pride of Puerto Rico: The life of Roberto Clemente. Harcourt Brace & Company, United States 1988, ISBN 0-15-307557-0, Beat 'Em, Bucs!, S. 77: „Then he brought his bat around and smashed a line drive to right field. As Roberto raced for first, Willie Mays rounded third and headed for home. The National League had won by a score of 5-4!“
  68. ↑ David Maraniss: Clemente: The Passion and Grace of America's Last Hero. Simon & Schuster, United States 2006, ISBN 0-7432-1781-0, Pride and Prejudice, S. 160: „This was not only Clemente's rise, but all of Puerto Rico's... Not only had Clemente captured the batting title, but Orlando Cepeda ended the season as the National League leader in home runs,with 46, and runs batted in, with 142.“
  69. ↑ Paul Robert Walker: Pride of Puerto Rico: The life of Roberto Clemente. Harcourt Brace & Company, United States 1988, ISBN 0-15-307557-0, It Is My Life, S. 84: „Thousands of people filled the plaza in Carolina on November 14, 1964. It was a beautiful sunny day., but they were not there for the sunshine. Inside the church of San Fernando, Roberto Clemente was marrying Vera Zabala.“
  70. ↑ Arnold Hano: Roberto Clemente: Batting King. G.P.Putnam's Sons, United States, ISBN 0-399-20375-3, Batting King: 3, S. 156: „He also busied himself managing the San Juan team in the Puerto Rican league, which should have been enough, but it wasn't, and by December, Clemente had appeared in 15 games.“
  71. ↑ Arnold Hano: Roberto Clemente: Batting King. G.P.Putnam's Sons, United States, ISBN 0-399-20375-3, Batting King: 3, S. 157: „Clemente was mowing the lawn of the Rio Pedras house on a December afternoon when the blade of the mower struck a stone and propelled it upward against his right thigh with sickening force.“
  72. ↑ Arnold Hano: Roberto Clemente: Batting King. G.P.Putnam's Sons, United States, ISBN 0-399-20375-3, Batting King: 3, S. 157: „Along came the All-Star game, and Clemente was prevailed upon to make a pinch-hitting appearance. He batted and hit a typical Clemente shot to right field, and he trotted slowly to first. Not slowly enough. The leg crumpled. A ligament popped. He felt 'something like water draining inside my leg.' Not water. Blood.“
  73. ↑ Arnold Hano: Roberto Clemente: Batting King. G.P.Putnam's Sons, United States, ISBN 0-399-20375-3, Batting King: 3, S. 157–158: „After the game, he was carried to a car and taken to the doctor. The leg had started to swell... Each day the leg was bigger. Finally the doctor scheduled an operation... The thigh was sliced open and the excess blood drained from the clotted bruise. A ligament had been torn in the right thigh... Clemente was a valuable property and the alarm by now within the Pirate organization was large.“
  74. ↑ Special To The Press: "Clemente Arrives In Florida," The Pittsburgh Press (Sunday, March 28, 1965), Sec. 4, Pg. 1
  75. ↑ Lester J. Biederman: "The Scoreboard: Walker Calm Despite Flood of Bad Breaks." The Pittsburgh Press (Sunday, May 9, 1965), Sec. 4, Pg. 3
  76. ↑ Retrosheet: Roberto Clemente's 1965 Batting Log
  77. ↑ Paul Robert Walker: Pride of Puerto Rico: The life of Roberto Clemente. Harcourt Brace & Company, United States 1988, ISBN 0-15-307557-0, MVP, S. 90: „On August 17, 1965, while Roberto Sr. was chasing his third batting title, Vera gave birth to Roberto Jr.“
  78. ↑ Charley Feeney: "Clemente Injury Known During Spring Training," The Pitsburgh Post-Gazette (Saturday, May 11, 1968), p. 8
  79. ↑ Retrosheet: 1968 Regular Season Batting Log for Roberto Clemente
  80. ↑ Joe Green (UPI): "Vet Hank Aaron Is Lone Repeater in National League All-Star Selections," The Youngstown Vindicator (Tuesday, June 25, 1968), p. 19
  81. ↑ "Clemente Sidelined Again: His Heels Are Bruised," The New York Times (July 27, 1972). "The Pittsburgh Pirates announced today that Roberto Clemente would miss... He was unable to start in the All-Star game last night in Atlanta."
  82. ↑ Associated Press: "Pirates Hope to Avoid Repeat of 1971 Slump," The Victoria Advocate (Thursday, July 27, 1972), p. 2B. "Clemente was out two weeks with a virus before returning to action last Sunday. However, he injured his heel in leading the Pirates to victory over Cincinnati and was scratched from the All-Star game... The right fielder suffered swollen heel tendons and the team spokesman said his ability to play will be determined on a day-to-day basis."
  83. ↑ Retrosheet: Career Batting & Fielding Stats for Roberto Clemente
  84. ↑ Baseball-Reference.com
  85. ↑ Associated Press: "Clemente Voted Most Valuable Player," The Sarasota Journal (Wednesday, November 16, 1966), p. 20. "His .317 average was fourth best in the league, but his 29 homers and 119 RBI were the most he's ever had in one season."
  86. ↑ Joe Curcio: "Clemente Finishes Undefeated: Roberto Manages Bucs to Victory, Wins Batting Title," The Pittsburgh Press (Monday, October 2, 1967), p. 37
  87. ↑ Paul Robert Walker: Pride of Puerto Rico: The life of Roberto Clemente. Harcourt Brace & Company, United States 1988, ISBN 0-15-307557-0, I Don't Have The Words, S. 106: „On June 28, 1970, the Pittsburgh Pirates played their last game at Forbes Field. For Roberto it was an emotional moment. "I spent half my life there", he said.“
  88. ↑ Paul Robert Walker: Pride of Puerto Rico: The life of Roberto Clemente. Harcourt Brace & Company, United States 1988, ISBN 0-15-307557-0, I Don't Have The Words, S. 107: „A young Puerto Rican businessman named Juan Jiménez presented Roberto with a scroll containing 300,000 signatures from the people of Puerto Rico.“
  89. ↑ Paul Robert Walker: Pride of Puerto Rico: The life of Roberto Clemente. Harcourt Brace & Company, United States 1988, ISBN 0-15-307557-0, I Don't Have The Words, S. 108: „At Roberto's request, thousands of dollars were donated to help the crippled children at Pittsburgh's Children's Hospital.“
  90. ↑ Paul Robert Walker: Pride of Puerto Rico: The life of Roberto Clemente. Harcourt Brace & Company, United States 1988, ISBN 0-15-307557-0, I Don't Have The Words, S. 111–112: „That winter, Roberto had other concerns as well. Don Melchor fell seriously ll and had to have surgery.“
  91. ↑ Larry Bortstein: “Roberto Clemente: The Best of All,” from Baseball Stars of 1972, Ray Robinson, editor (New York, Pyramid Books, 1972), p. 30. "In the 9-5 clincher, Clemente won the game four different times. In addition to delivering two two-run singles that ultimately represented Pittsburgh’s margin of victory, Roberto made two of the key plays in the game, one in the field and one on the bases. With San Franciscans on first and second in the top of the first inning, and one Giant runner already home, Dick Dietz lined a single to right. Clemente charged fast and threw hard and low to the plate. Tito Fuentes, not a slow man, stopped at third. He never scored. In the bottom of the inning, Roberto’s first two-run single gave the Pirates a short-lived lead. In the sixth, again with two out, Clemente sent the Pirates ahead with a base hit. He promptly proceeded to wrap up the contest when he advanced to second on a short passed ball by Dietz, the kind most players wouldn’t have dared run on. This maneuver made it necessary for the Giants to intentionally walk Willie Stargell, whereupon the next batter, Al Oliver, delivered a three-run homer. Clemente later revealed why he risked going on the pitch that had gotten away from Dietz. “An intentional walk to Willie was the best thing that could have happened to us,' he said. 'He wasn’t hitting and Oliver has been our hottest hitter.'”
  92. ↑ Kal Wagenheim: Clemente. Praeger Publishers, United States 1973, ISBN 0-275-19670-4, Kap. 10, S. 194–195: „Pirate owner John Galbreath wedged through the circle of reporters and shook Roberto's hand effusively. 'You're everything we think you are, you never let us down. You come through every time - you're the greatest." "Do you really think you're the greatest?" asked one reporter. Reflecting for a moment, Roberto replied...“
  93. ↑ Retrosheet - Baltimore Orioles (1901-2011)
  94. ↑ Retrosheet - 1969 Post-Season Games
  95. ↑ Retrosheet - 1970 Post-Season Games
  96. ↑ Retrosheet - 1971 Post-Season Games
  97. ↑ a b c Larry Schwartz: Clemente quietly grew in stature. ESPN, abgerufen am 9. Dezember 2007.
  98. ↑ Roberto Clemente Award. Major League Baseball, abgerufen am 9. Dezember 2007.
  99. ↑ White House Dream Team: Roberto Walker Clemente. White House, abgerufen am 9. Dezember 2007.
  100. ↑ El vuelo solidario y temerario de Clemente. El Nuevo Diario, abgerufen am 9. Dezember 2007.
  101. ↑ Hispanic Heritage: Roberto Clemente. Gale Gengage Learning, abgerufen am 9. Dezember 2007.
  102. ↑ Roberto Clemente plane ruled unfit
  103. ↑ a b Roberto Clemente. Latino Legends in Sports, abgerufen am 9. Dezember 2007.
  104. ↑ Pirates Single Game Records. Pittsburgh Pirates, abgerufen am 9. Januar 2008.
  105. ↑ Gold Glove National League Outfielders. Baseball Almanac, abgerufen am 9. Januar 2008.
  106. ↑ Roberto Clemente Presente! leftfield.com, abgerufen am 16. Dezember 2007.
  107. ↑ Roberto Clemente Plaque is Recast to Correct Cultural Inaccuracy; New One Travels to Puerto Rico (November 2000). National Hall of Fame and Museum, 18. September 2000, archiviert vom Original am 28. April 2003; abgerufen am 3. Februar 2008.
  108. ↑ Bruce Markusen: Roberto Clemente: The Great One. Sports Publishing, Inc, United States 1998, ISBN 1-57167-244-3, Beginnings to Brooklyn, S. 5: „'The first hero that I have … I would say was Monte Irvin, when I was a kid. I used to watch Monte Irvin play when I was a kid – I idolized him. I used to wait in front of the ballpark just for him to pass by so I could see him.'“
  109. ↑ Les Biederman: “Clemente, 32, Pays Tribute to Parents,” The Sporting News (September 3, 1966), p. 12. "Clemente picks Stan Musial and Frank Robinson as the best hitters he has seen... As for pitchers, he places them in two categories: Warren Spahn and Robin Roberts in their prime and Sandy Koufax and Juan Marichal today."
  110. ↑ Milton Richman: "Clemente Still Touches Others," The Ellensburg Daily Record (Monday, August 6, 1973), p. 7. "Vera Clemente made the trip to this sunny, slow-paced, little village to see her late husband officially inducted into baseball's Hall of Fame today along with Warren Spahn, Monte Irvin, George Kelly, and a pair of other late diamond personalities, Mickey Welch and Billy Evans."
  111. ↑ Marc Zarefsku: Baseball honors Roberto Clemente. National Baseball Hall of Fame, 6. September 2007, archiviert vom Original am 7. Februar 2008; abgerufen am 10. Dezember 2007.
  112. ↑ Jesses Sanchez: Latino Legends team announced. Major League Baseball, 26. Oktober 2005, abgerufen am 10. Dezember 2007.
  113. ↑ a b Barry M. Bloom: Baseball honors Clemente. Major League Baseball, 12. Juli 2006, abgerufen am 10. Dezember 2007.
  114. ↑ PNC Park Overview. Major League Baseball, abgerufen am 16. April 2008.
  115. ↑ Vorlage:Citation
  116. ↑ http://www.pittsburghsportsreport.com/1998-Issues/psr9809/98090106.html
  117. ↑ Bienvenidos. Ciudad Deportiva Roberto Clemente (official website), abgerufen am 10. Dezember 2007.
  118. ↑ Johnna A.: Clemente's family helps to christen renamed bridge. post-gazette.com, 8. April 1999, abgerufen am 10. Dezember 2007.
  119. ↑ Diana Nelson Jones: Clemente Museum brightens Lower Lawrenceville outlook. The Pittsburgh Gazette, 23. Juli 2007, abgerufen am 10. Dezember 2007.
  120. ↑ State Parks : Roberto Clemente State Park. New York State Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation, abgerufen am 10. Oktober 2009.
  121. ↑ About Us. Roberto Clemente Community Academy, abgerufen am 10. Dezember 2007.
  122. ↑ National Postal Museum to feature Roberto Clemente Walker. Hispania News, abgerufen am 10. Dezember 2007.
  123. ↑ The Sporting News Baseball 100 Greatest Players. The Sporting News, abgerufen am 9. Dezember 2007.
  124. ↑ All-Century Team final voting. ESPN, 23. Oktober 1999, abgerufen am 5. März 2009.
  125. ↑ Roberto Clemente at the Rawlings All Time Gold Glove Award winners,
  126. ↑ {cite book|quote=What doesn't get talked about much is the influence Mays had over the younger Clemente. It was considerable when Mays - who led the National League with a .345 average that season and made arguably baseball's best-known catch off Vic Wertz in the World Series - joined a young Clemente on the Santurce team... Roberto Marin, the barrio scout, later said: 'That was Roberto's big break, playing next to Mays. He watched Mays like a hawk, used to talk about how he played. Mays told him how to charge a ball, told him not to worry about gambling on a catch at his ankles because in the major leagues other outfielders would back him up.'|author=Phil Musick |title=Reflections on Roberto |year=1994 |publisher=Pittsburgh Associates DBA Pittsburgh Pirates |location=United States |isbn= 0-9641355-0-7|page=49 |chapter=An Angry Apprenticeship}}
  127. ↑ Bob Finnigan and Bob Sherwin: “Center Field Of Dreams,” The Seattle Times (Thursday, March 31, 1994). "Junior got his first lessons from Willie Stargell, who was a coach with Atlanta when Senior played for the Braves in 1986-87. 'Willie taught me footwork, positioning, how to get a jump, how to read a ball,' Griffey said. 'And I learned right along with Junior,' Senior said. 'I could never tell Junior anything because we didn't know exactly what to do. Coming up with Cinci, they did not coach us... And Stargell knew his stuff. He had learned outfield from Roberto Clemente. Junior was 17 and I was 36 and there we were taking instruction together.'"
  128. ↑ Bill Cunniff: Sosa plays host at party at his island mansion In: Chicago Sun-Times, 26. November 1999, S. 3. Abgerufen am 4. Oktober 2008 
  129. ↑ Sharon Robinson: honor Clemente some other way, ESPN, January 24, 2006. Abgerufen am 17. August 2009 „The daughter of Jackie Robinson thinks Major League Baseball should not retire Roberto Clemente's No. 21, the New York Daily News reported Tuesday. The Hispanics Across America advocacy group wants Clemente's number set aside the way the late Robinson's No. 42 was nine years ago. But Sharon Robinson said that honor should remain for her father only.“ 
  130. ↑ a b American Experience: Roberto Clemente. Public Broadcasting Service, abgerufen am 29. Juli 2008.
  131. ↑ Richard E. Vatz and Lee S. Weinberg, Saluting Pittsburgh's Finest. USA Today Magazine. July 2008.
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