21 things you should know on Roberto Clemente Day
By Tab Bamford
Today is Roberto Clemente Day across Major League Baseball, a day when every team across the league takes a moment to remember and celebrate a player and individual who continues to mean so much more than a position on a field or a statistic.
As we celebrate “Momen” today here are 21 facts you should know about him.
1. The Great One
Clemente was the first Latino player to win a World Series MVP, a regular-season MVP and the first Latino player to be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Even more, in 2003 he posthumously received the Medal of Freedom from President George H. Bush.
2. Error
Clemente wasn’t known for making errors in the field; he was charged with 140 in 2,370 career regular season games. But when his first plaque was cast for the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, it read “Roberto Walker Clemente”—incorrectly placing his mother’s maiden name before his father’s surname. It was corrected in 2000.
3. The first Latino player to 3,000
And, sadly, that’s where his career ended. Clemente picked up hit number 3,000 on Sept. 30, 1972 at Three Rivers Stadium off Jon Matlack of the New York Mets.
4. A class of four
Only four players in major league history have won 10 Rawlings Gold Glove Awards and finished with a .300 career batting average: Willie Mays, Ichiro Suzuki, Roberto Alomar and Clemente.
5. The best pick in Rule 5 Draft history
Clemente wasn’t protected by the Dodgers after the 1954 season and Pittsburgh claimed him in the Rule 5 Draft.
6. Serving the country
After the 1958 season, Clemente enlisted in the US Marine Corps Reserve. He spent six months on active duty that winter and served for six more years. He was inducted into the Marine Corps Sports Hall of Fame in 2003.
7. Congressional Medal of Honor
Clemente was posthumously awarded a Congressional Gold Medal of Honor in 1973 for his humanitarian efforts.
8. No Show
Manny Sanguillen was the only Pirate not to attend Clemente’s memorial service. Instead, Sanguillen traveled to Puerto Rico to dive into the waters where the plane crashed in an effort to recover Clemente’s body. He spent days diving to look for his friend.
9. Legging it Out
Always running all-out, Clemente had nine seasons where he had double digits in triples, with a career high of 14 in 1965.
10. Walk It Off With Style
On July 25, 1956, Clemente hit the only walk-off grand slam home run versus the Chicago Cubs at Forbes Field.
11. Eleventh
Clemente was the 11th player in Major League history to reach 3,000 hits – the first Latin American-born player to do so.
12. Golden
Clemente and Mays are still tied for the most Rawlings Gold Glove Awards with 12 each.
13. Not always 21
When Roberto Clemente first took the field as a Pittsburgh outfielder, he was wearing 13 on his back – not 21. Another Pirates outfielder, Earl Smith, wore 21 when Clemente got to Pittsburgh. Smith was released five games into the 1955 season, however, and the rest is 21 history in Pittsburgh.
14. World Series Streak
The Great One was at his best in the World Series. Playing against the Yankees in 1960 and the Orioles in 1971, Clemente had a hit in all 14 World Series games he played, winning a ring both times.
15. All-Star Games
Selected to 12 All-Star teams, Clemente actually participated in 15 games because in the early 1960s there were two games played a year.
16. Power
While he had double digits in home runs in 13 seasons and 240 career home runs, Clemente had 16 seasons where he reached double digits in outfield assists and a total of 266 assists. His highest total came in 1961 when he had 27 assists.
17. .317 Lifetime Average
Clemente improved with age. He showed improvement over each 1,000-hit interval in reaching 3,000 hits. He batted .297 over his first thousand hits, .326 from 1,001-2,000 hits, and .332 from 2,001 to 3,000.
18. Seasons
The Puerto Rico native played a total of 18 seasons for the Pirates. Clemente hit .300 or higher in 13 of those seasons.
19. Heavy Lumber
Although he weighed 175 pounds, Clemente wielded one of the heaviest bats in the game. Over the course of his career, he swung bats that weighed between 36 and 38 ounces.
20. Rookie
Clemente made his Major League debut on April 17, 1955, at 20 year old.
21. The Number
Retired by the Pirates, Clemente’s number 21 is revered among admirers of Clemente. Recipient of the 2006 Roberto Clemente Award, Carlos Delgado shared what 21 means. “I wore uniform number 21 this year in his memory,” said Delgado. “Roberto’s legacy to me is that it’s an athlete’s obligation to give back. That’s what I have tried to do throughout my career.”
Featured Image: Bettmann