Clemente, Roberto

Clemente, Roberto

Roberto Clemente.

(credit: UPI)

(born Aug. 18, 1934, Carolina, P.R.—died Dec. 31, 1972, off the coast of Puerto Rico) Puerto Rican baseball player. Clemente played in the minor leagues in his native land before joining the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1955. He led the National League in hitting in 1961, 1964, 1965, and 1967, and batted .362 in two World Series (1960, 1970). He was also known for his fielding, throwing, and base stealing. His career was cut short when he died in the crash of an airplane loaded with relief supplies he had collected for Nicaraguan earthquake victims.

---

Clemente, Roberto (Walker) (1934–72) baseball player; born in Carolina, Puerto Rico. During his 18-year career with the Pittsburgh Pirates (1955–72), he compiled a lifetime batting average of .317 and was considered baseball's premier defensive outfielder. After he obtained his 3,000th hit in the last game of the 1972 season, his life was tragically cut short when an airplane loaded with supplies for earthquake victims in Managua, Nicaragua, crashed off the Puerto Rican coast. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1973.