How Long Did Roberto Clemente Play Baseball?

Roberto Clemente played baseball for 21 seasons, all with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was a 12-time All-Star and won four National League batting titles.

Roberto Clemente’s Early Life

Roberto Clemente was born on August 18, 1934, in Barrio Santurce, San Juan, Puerto Rico. Clemente’s father, Melchor, worked as a foreman at a sugarcane plantation; his mother, Luisa, was a homemaker. Roberto Clemente had seven brothers and sisters: Amelia, Santos, Juan, Ana, Matilde, Luis Roberto, and Egberto. Clemente grew up in a poor neighborhood and did not have much money as a child.

Roberto Clemente’s family

Roberto Clemente was born on August 18, 1934, in Barrio Sucri, Carolina, Puerto Rico. He was the youngest of seven children. His father, Don Melchor Clemente, worked as a foreman at a sugarcane plantation; his mother, Luisa Walker de Clemente, was a housewife. Roberto Clemente’s education ended after the eighth grade because his family could not afford to send him to high school.

Roberto Clemente’s early years playing baseball

Roberto Clemente was born on August 18, 1934, in Barrio San Anton, Carolina, Puerto Rico. Clemente’s father worked as a foreman at a sugarcane plantation. His mother, Luisa Walker de Clemente, was a homemaker. Roberto was one of seven children. When Clemente was young, his father taught him how to play baseball using a broomstick and a milk carton.

Clemente attended high school at José M. López High School in Carolina. During his time there, he played baseball and basketball. After high school, Clemente worked briefly as a office clerk before signing with the Brooklyn Dodgers organization in 1954.

Clemente played in the Dodgers’ minor league system for two years before being drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the Rule 5 draft in 1956. He made his Major League debut with the Pirates in 1955 and went on to play 18 seasons with the team. Throughout his career, Clemente was considered one of baseball’s best defensive players and won 12 Gold Glove Awards. He was also a prolific hitter and won the National League batting title four times.

In 1972, Clemente helped lead the Pittsburgh Pirates to their first World Series Championship since 1960. He hit .275 with two home runs and four RBIs in the series. The following year, Clemente collected his 3,000th career hit off of Cincinnati Reds pitcher Pat Darcy on September 30, 1972. He became just the 11th player in Major League history to reach that milestone at that time.

Clemente died tragically on December 31, 1972 when the plane he was traveling on crashed while bringing supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua. He was posthumously inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973 and his number 21 is retired by the Pittsburgh Pirates organization.

Roberto Clemente’s Professional Career

Roberto Clemente played for 18 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), from 1955 through 1972. Clemente was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973, becoming the first Latin American player to be so enshrined. He was also the first player to be inducted posthumously.

Clemente’s years with the Pittsburgh Pirates

Roberto Clemente played 18 seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1955-1972. He was a 12-time All-Star and won the World Series with the team in 1960. Clemente was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973, just one year after his death.

Clemente’s World Series appearances

Roberto Clemente played in four World Series as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was named the Most Valuable Player of the 1971 series.

Clemente’s 3000th hit

On September 30, 1972, in his final at-bat of the season, Clemente got a hit off Jon Matlack of the New York Mets at Three Rivers Stadium to record his 3,000th and final career hit. The Pittsburgh Pirates played a home game against the Mets that day, and Clemente homered earlier in the contest. In his last turn at bat, he singled to right field off Matlack for hit number 3000. Clemente thus became the 11th player in MLB history to reach 3,000 hits, and the first Latin American (and Spanish-speaking) player to do so.

Roberto Clemente’s Death

Roberto Clemente was a Puerto Rican professional baseball player who played 18 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1955 through 1972. An outfielder, he threw and batted right-handed. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973, becoming the first Latin American and Caribbean player to be enshrined. His untimely death due to a plane crash on New Year’s Eve 1972 deprived baseball of one of its greatest stars.

The plane crash

On December 31, 1972, Clemente died in a plane crash while attempting to deliver supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua. He was 38 years old.

Clemente’s plane, a DC-7 chartered by his friend Antonio Cuevas, took off from Isla Verde International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico at about 5:30 p.m. Soon after takeoff, the plane began to experience mechanical problems and veered off course. The pilot tried to make an emergency landing on a beach in Loíza Aldea, but the plane hit some power lines and crashed into the ocean.

Clemente’s body was never found and he was declared dead on January 1, 1973.

Clemente’s legacy

Clemente was posthumously inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1973, becoming the first Latin American and Caribbean player to be enshrined. His number was retired by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1972. He was the first MLB player to be permanently honored with a plaque at the Baseball Hall of Fame on its Roll of Honor. Clemente was among the inaugural class of inductees into the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum Hall of Honor in 2006. The Roberto Clemente Award, given annually to a player who “best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement and individual contribution to his team”, is named for him.

In 1977, Clemente had a 77-cent United States Postal Service stamp issued in his honor; it may have been the first commemorative stamp for a Hispanic American. In 1998 he was ranked Number 21 on The Sporting News’ list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, and was elected to Major League Baseball’s All-Century Team that same year; only Willie Mays received more outfield votes than Clemente.

In 2000, Major League Baseball instituted an annual award named after Clemente to recognize individuals who “demonstrate extraordinary character and community involvement as well as outstanding baseball skills.”