27 Facts About Roberto Clemente

1.

Roberto Enrique Clemente Walker was a Puerto Rican professional baseball right fielder who played 18 seasons in Major League Baseball for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

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2.

Roberto Clemente was an All-Star for 13 seasons, selected to 15 All-Star Games.

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3.

Roberto Clemente was the first player from the Caribbean and Latin America to win a World Series as a starting position player, to receive an NL MVP Award, and to receive a World Series MVP Award .

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4.

Roberto Clemente was involved in charity work in Latin American and Caribbean countries during the off-seasons.

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5.

Roberto Clemente often delivered baseball equipment and food to those in need.

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6.

Roberto Clemente had first shown interest in baseball early in life and often played against neighboring barrios.

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7.

Roberto Clemente attended Julio Vizcarrondo Coronado High School in Carolina.

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8.

Roberto Clemente joined Puerto Rico's amateur league when he was 16 years old, playing for the Ferdinand Juncos team, which represented the municipality of Juncos.

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9.

Roberto Clemente was a bench player during his first season but was promoted to the Cangrejeros' starting lineup the following season.

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10.

Roberto Clemente served his six-month active duty commitment at Parris Island, South Carolina, Camp LeJeune in North Carolina, and Washington, D C At Parris Island, Clemente received recruit training with Platoon 346 of the 3rd Recruit Battalion.

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11.

Roberto Clemente was a private first class in the Marine Corps Reserve until September 1964.

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12.

Roberto Clemente was at a double disadvantage, as he was a Latin American and Caribbean player whose first language was Spanish and was of partially African descent.

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13.

When Roberto Clemente arrived in Pittsburgh, Roberts befriended him and helped him adjust to life in the major league, as well as in the Pittsburgh area.

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14.

Roberto Clemente was still fulfilling his Marine Corps Reserve duty during spring of 1959 and set to be released from Camp Lejeune until April 4.

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15.

Roberto Clemente started again in right field for the second All-Star game held that season and was 0 for 2, flying and grounding out in the 2nd and 4th innings.

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16.

Roberto Clemente was an All-Star every season he played in the 1960s other than 1968—the only year in his career after 1959 in which he failed to hit above.

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17.

Roberto Clemente made the annual NL All-Star roster for the twelfth time and won his twelfth consecutive Gold Glove.

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18.

Roberto Clemente was inducted into the Marine Corps Sports Hall of Fame in 2003, and into the Puerto Rican Veterans Hall of Fame 15 years later.

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19.

Roberto Clemente spent much of his time during the off-season involved in charity work.

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20.

Roberto Clemente soon learned that the aid packages on the first three flights had been diverted by corrupt officials of the Somoza government, never reaching victims of the quake.

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21.

Roberto Clemente decided to accompany the fourth relief flight, hoping that his presence would ensure that the aid would be delivered to the survivors.

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22.

An empty flight case apparently belonging to Roberto Clemente was the only personal item recovered from the plane.

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23.

The Pirates catcher chose instead to dive into the waters where Roberto Clemente's plane had crashed in an effort to find his teammate.

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24.

At the time of his death, Roberto Clemente had established several records with the Pirates, including most triples in a game and hits in two consecutive games .

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25.

Roberto Clemente is the athlete with most statues and monuments dedicated in the world, with more than a dozen in several countries.

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26.

Roberto Clemente had been inducted in several Hall of Fames for his performance on the field and for his humanitarian as part of the World Sports Humanitarian Hall .

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27.

Roberto Clemente has been the subject of several documentaries, books and other media.

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