Roberto Clemente

Among the most prestigious honors a baseball player can earn are league MVP, World Series MVP (presented by the editors of SPORT from its inception until the late 1980s), and enshrinement into the Baseball Hall of Fame. So why is it that Roberto Clemente was the first Latino ballplayer to achieve each of those honors, and yet, remains one of the most underrated players in baseball history? As you settle in with this special tribute to Roberto Clemente, told through the pages of the SPORT Magazine archive, you will see that although he was far from the first person of Latin American origin to play in the major leagues, he was the first to break through barriers previously thought to be impenetrable. Born in Carolina, Puerto Rico, Clemente was a…

It was at Terry Park in Fort Myers, Fla., last March. The Pirates had opened their camp and one of the bright young men in the game—Roberto Clemente—was sitting on the bench. He was in training for his third season in the National League and his fourth in organized ball. In the first two years in the NL, he had moved his batting average from .255 up to .311. That was the third best mark in the league. Only Hank Aaron of the Braves and teammate Bill Virdon had higher averages. It had always been the thought among the Pittsburgh travelers that a fellow Puerto Rican, Ruben Gomez of the Giants, had given Clemente as much trouble as any pitcher in the league. A reporter sat down with him and…

Tell Roberto Clemente that he plays like Willie Mays—a comparison that most ballplayers consider giant-size flattery—and the Pirate from Puerto Rico explodes with indignation. “Willie is a very good ballplayer,” Roberto says, ‘"but why does everybody say I run like Willie, catch like Willie, throw like Willie and hit line drives like Willie? I am good, too, but I am not Willie. I am Roberto Clemente. That means I play only like Roberto Clemente.” Playing "onlylikeRoberto Clemente,” triggers considerable excitement. When he comes to bat, Pittsburgh fans spur him on with staccato shouts of his nickname, “Arriba," (a Spanish word meaning, “Come on, let’s go”). They cheer every catch he makes in right field. Clemente’s daring, skilled all-round play, they insist, will spark the Pirates to their first National League…

Back home after his best season in the big leagues, Roberto Clemente sat in the dugout of the San Juan Senators, ready for additional baseball action. Although it was Christmas-time, the temperature was in the 70s, typical for Puerto Rico that time of year. Tall coconut palms waved in the evening breeze, and the lights of nearby resort hotels seemed at least as bright as those illuminating the playing field. Snatches of conversation could be heard coming from the stands. This was the baseball that had catapulted him to fame and the major leagues. Now, in 1961, Puerto Rican Winter League competition was merely an active intermission for the slim, handsome outfielder. It brought him very little additional income and it drained his energies, coming after his long season with…

Roberto Clemente has been with the Pittsburgh Pirates since 1955 and during most of that time he has been the kind of ballplayer fans shout about. Going into this season the 32-year-old Clemente carried a lifetime batting average of .310 and three times he had won National League batting titles. He was also considered far and away the best defensive right fielder in the league. Unfortunately, while the fans were cheering, many of Clemente’s own teammates were whispering. He wasn’t concerned about the overall welfare of the Pirates, they said. He didn’t fit in socially. He’s moody. He likes to pretend he’s sick. Etc., etc. Well, seemingly overnight, the whispers have stopped. Now the ballplayers are talking loud and clear. And what they’re saying might surprise you. Listen: “I always…

What do you mean when you say a ballplayer is underrated? Do you mean the player should be famous but isn’t? That isn’t necessarily a criterion, in my opinion. Bob Clemente is a famous player but I think he is underrated. Juan Marichal is famous but I think he too is underrated. So we have to look for other definitions of the word “underrated.” First, I feel a player generally is underrated only by the fans and by the writers—not by the players, coaches and managers. In the dugout a player gets the rating he deserves—with an exception here and there. Secondly, in rating a player, I think you have to give him two or three years to show his consistency. This is something younger players don’t always understand. They…