Roberto Clemente Walker (August 18, 1934 –
December 31, 1972) was a Major League Baseball
right fielder and right-handed batter. He was
elected to the Hall of Fame in 1973, being the
first Hispanic American to be selected, and the
only exception to the mandatory five-year
post-retirement waiting period since it was
instituted in 1954.


Clemente was born in Carolina, Puerto Rico, the
youngest of four children. He played 18 seasons in
the majors from 1955 to 1972, all with the
Pittsburgh Pirates, winning the NL MVP Award in
1966.

Clemente was a 4-time NL batting champion,
finishing in the top ten in batting average
thirteen times. He finished his career with
exactly 3,000 hits, the last one coming on what
would turn out to be the last at-bat of his career
on September 30, 1972 off Jon Matlack. He was the
11th player in history to reach this number. He
also had one of the most powerful throwing arms of
any outfielder in baseball history, which
contributed to him winning 12 Gold Glove Awards
for his outstanding defense. Perhaps Clemente's
greatest feat was leading the Pittsburgh Pirates
to a seven-game World Series victory over the
Baltimore Orioles in 1971. He compiled a lifetime
batting average of .317 and batted .300 or better
13 times, hitting 240 home runs.

A hero in his native Puerto Rico, Clemente spent
much of his time during the off-season involved in
charity work. He died in a plane crash off the
coast of Carolina on December 31, 1972 while en
route to deliver aid to earthquake victims in
Nicaragua.

Puerto Rico has honored Roberto Clemente's memory
by naming the coliseum in San Juan, Puerto Rico
Coliseo Roberto Clemente. His native city,
Carolina, has a sports complex called "Ciudad
Deportiva" (Sports City). In Pittsburgh a bridge
was named after him and the Pirates retired his
number 21. Meanwhile, MLB presents the Roberto
Clemente Award every year to the player who best
follows Clemente's example