Roberto Enrique Clemente Walker was a Puerto Rican professional baseball right fielder who played 18 seasons in Major League Baseball for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Puerto Rican players will be allowed to wear number 21 again on Roberto Clemente Day. Today we will discuss about Roberto Clemente: Biography| Wife| Family| Award
Roberto Clemente: Biography| Wife| Family| Award
Roberto Enrique Clemente Walker (Spanish pronunciation August 18, 1934 – December 31, 1972) was a Puerto Rican professional baseball right fielder who played 18 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). had played. For the Pittsburgh Pirates. After his early death, he was posthumously inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973, becoming both the first Caribbean and the first Latino-American player.
| Right fielder | |
| Born: August 18, 1934 Barrio San Antón, Carolina, Puerto Rico |
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| Died: December 31, 1972 (aged 38) Isla Verde, Carolina, Puerto Rico |
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Batted: Right
Threw: Right
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| MLB debut | |
|---|---|
| April 17, 1955, for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| October 3, 1972, for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .317 |
| Hits | 3,000 |
| Home runs | 240 |
| Runs batted in | 1,305 |
Biography
Clemente was an All-Star for 13 seasons, playing in 15 All-Star Games. [b] He was the National League (NL) Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 1966, the NL’s batting leader in 1961, 1964, 1965, and 1967, and for 12 consecutive seasons from 1961 to 1972 Gold Glove Award Winner His batting average was over .300 for 13 seasons and he had 3,000 hits during his major league career. He was also a two-time World Series champion. Clemente was the first player from the Caribbean and Latin America to win a World Series as a starting position player (1960) to receive the NL MVP Award (1966) and the World Series MVP Award (1971).
Clemente was involved in charity work in Latin American and Caribbean countries during the off-season. He often delivered baseball equipment and food to those in need. On December 31, 1972, he died in a plane crash at the age of 38 on his way to aid earthquake victims in Nicaragua. The following season, the Pirates retired their uniform number 21, and MLB renamed its annual Commissioner’s Award in his honor. Now known as the Roberto Clemente Award, it is awarded to the player who “best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement, and the individual’s contribution to his or her team.”
Wife
After the death of her husband in a plane crash in 1972, she carried on her humanitarian and philanthropic legacy.
On New Year’s Eve 1972, an old cargo plane carrying relief materials for earthquake victims in Nicaragua was taking off from Puerto Rico. There were five people on board, including outfielder Roberto Clemente, the charismatic star of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Family
The youngest of seven children, Roberto Clemente grew up in an agile, modest, but proud Puerto Rican family. His tragic death left behind his wife, Vera, three young sons, Roberto Jr., Luis Roberto and Roberto Enrique – and a human reputation that lives on.
Many organizations respect Clemente’s spirit of care. Major League Baseball awards the Roberto Clemente Award to current players who exemplify Clemente’s commitment to the community and helping others. The Bard College Clemente Course in the Humanities provides free college courses to thousands of economically and educationally disadvantaged people in American cities. In Puerto Rico, Clemente’s family helps support a sports complex that teaches and inspires hundreds of thousands of youth annually, and in Pittsburgh, they founded the Roberto Clemente Foundation to help underprivileged youth.
Award
The Roberto Clemente Award is given annually to a Major League Baseball (MLB) player who, as voted by baseball fans and members of the media, “is the best example of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement, and the individual’s contribution to their team”. It is named after Hall of Fame outfielder Roberto Clemente. Originally known as the Commissioner’s Award, it has been presented by MLB since 1971. In 1973, the prize was renamed after Clemente’s death in a plane crash while he was distributing supplies to victims of the Nicaragua earthquake. [1]
