While New Years Eve is a time of celebration and new beginnings for all those who follow the Gregorian calendar, one that brings with it hope, joy and a fair few hangovers to say the least. However in the baseball world, New Years Eve can be a very somber occasion as it marks the day that the game lost one of its greatest players and kindest souls. Roberto Clemente, The Great One.
Roberto Clemente registered 3000 hits in his career, won 2 World Series, and was World Series MVP in 1971.12 straight Gold Glove seasons and 4 National League batting titles round out the career of one of the most iconic characters to ever step into a batters box.
Clemente was born in Puerto Rico in 1934 and by 1952 was playing ball in the United States as a member of the Dodgers organisation. He was picked up by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 1954 Rule 5 draft in exchange for $4,000 (Just under $39,000 in today's money). The rest, as they say, is history, a history that we must not forget.
Clemente's legacy goes well beyond the diamond. Roberto was a passionate humanitarian involved with many charity and aid projects within the United States and abroad. On December 23rd, 1972, the Central American nation of Nicaragua was struck by a devastating earthquake. Clemente immediately set about arranging for relief supplies to be sent to the Nicaraguan capital of Managua, however, soon learned that the three planes that were sent to deliver aid packages in the week following the earthquake had been redirected and stolen by the corrupt Somoza government.
Due to this Clemente decided to escort the fourth plane to Managua himself, believing his presence on board would prevent the plane from being redirected. On New Years' Eve 1972, Clemente's plane, overloaded and poorly maintained, suffered engine failure shortly after take-off and crashed into the Atlantic ocean off the coast of Puerto Rico. Clemente's body was never recovered and baseball went into a period of mourning that saw the MLB Hof waive the 5 year waiting period and induct Clemente into the Hall of Fame on March 20th, 1973, just under 4 months after his death.
Clemente became the first Caribbean and Latin American Hall of Famer when he was inducted in 1973, an accolade that goes some way to sum up how grand a figure he was in Latin America. Clemente was a proud Puerto Rican and black man in a society and sport that had only just begun to accept the idea of a black man playing professional baseball. Local media at the time tried to shorten his name to ‘Bob’ or ‘Bobby’ but Clemente absolutely insisted, rightly so, that his name was Roberto. He commented that helping to change the perception of black and Latin American people in society was his “greatest satisfaction”.
This devotion to helping others, either by charity or breaking barriers, as well as his on field heroics has meant that Clemente’s legacy can be seen right across the baseball world. In Puerto Rico, his birth country, the winter league is named in his honour. The Roberto Clemente professional baseball league (English translation) is played from December to January, two stadiums on the island are also named after him, one in Carolina and one in San Juan. In Nicaragua too, the country Clemente lost his life providing aid to, the number 21 is retired across all competitions and teams. The ballpark in Masaya is also named after him. In Major League Baseball, the Roberto Clemente award is given each year to the player that demonstrates the most commitment to helping their community and understands the value of helping others.
The life and untimely death of Roberto Clemente, teaches us, each and every New Years Eve, that no matter who we are, where we come from or what we look like we can find greatness in helping others and continuing to push for change where it is needed. Happy New Year from the Ministry of Baseball and in the words of columnist Jimmy Cannon…
“Baseball survives because guys like Clemente still play it”
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