ROBERTO CLEMENTE

Roberto Clemente Walker was baseball’s prototypical right fielder from 1955 to 1972, possessing a rare combination of speed, razor-sharp instincts and a howitzer-like arm. The Pittsburgh Pirates claimed the 20-year-old Puerto Rican from the Dodgers’ Montreal farm club for just $4,000 in the 1954 minor league draft. Clemente seemed uncomfortable at bat, always rolling his neck and stretching his back. Despite an unorthodox style, he won four batting crowns and amassed 3,000 hits. He was equally brilliant in right field, winning 12 straight Gold Gloves and a Most Valuable Player Award in 1966. Clemente also led the Pirates over the Baltimore Orioles in the 1971 World Series, batting .414, with 12 hits and 2 homers; a performance which earned him the Series MVP award. Tragically, Clemente’s life ended on New Year’s Eve of 1972. While flying relief supplies to Nicaraguan earthquake victims, his plane crashed into the Atlantic Ocean, claiming the life of the 38-year-old star. The five-year mandatory waiting period was waived, and Clemente was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1973, a special honor for a proud man who was greatly admired for his humanitarianism.

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Images courtesy of Dick Perez