A Unique Record for Roberto Clemente!

Roberto Clemente Photo Gallery
Click on any image below to see photos in full size and to start the Roberto Clemente Photo Gallery:

 

A Unique Record for Roberto Clemente!

But first, a couple great quotes from Roberto Clemente, arguably the greatest right fielder of all-time:

”Any time you have an opportunity to make a difference in this world and you don’t, then you are wasting your time on Earth.”

“”I want to be remembered as a ballplayer who gave all he had to give. I’m convinced God wanted me to be a baseball player. I was born to play baseball.” 

Over Roberto Clemente’s storied career he set many defensive records for outfielders. I recently discovered an unusual offensive record that he set 46 years ago yesterday (August 23, 1970). On that day, he compiled his second straight five-hit game during an 11-0 pasting of the Dodgers in Los Angeles. He became the first major leaguer in the 20^th century to collect 10 hits in two consecutive games. As far as I know the record still stands.

In the featured photo above, we see Roberto Clemente doing was he was most famous for: Making sensational catches in right field, a position he played better than anyone who ever played the game.

To honor the memory of one of the all-time greats – who was also a true humanitarian – here’s a few words about his Hall-of-Fame career, excerpted from his Wikipedia page:

Whenever baseball fans who saw him play are asked who had the best arm ever, they usually respond “Roberto Clemente” without hesitation. Over his 18-year career with the Pirates, Roberto Clemente hit .317, with exactly 3000 hits, 1416 runs, 440 doubles, 166 triples, 240 home runs, and 1305 RBIs. He hit over .300 thirteen times. Clemente was a 15-time All-Star, a National League Most Valuable Player (1966), a four-time National League batting champion (1961, ’64, ’65, and ’67), a two-time World Series champion (1960 and 1971), and a twelve-time Gold Glove winner. He led the National League in hits twice, triples once, put-outs as a right fielder three times, and outfield fielding average once. Clemente is first by a wide margin in National League career assists for a right fielder with 256. He trails only Harry Hooper’s 333 in major league history.

 Here’s a couple of the more unusual records he holds: He is the only player to have hit a walk-off inside-the-park grand slam, which he accomplished on July 25, 1956 in a game against the Cubs at Forbes Field. In addition, he is one of only four players to receive ten or more Gold Glove awards and have a lifetime .317 batting average.

 Roberto Clemente was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1973, becoming the first Latin American and Caribbean player to be enshrined. He is the first Latin American and Caribbean player to help win a World Series as a starter (1960), to receive an National League MVP Award (1966), and to receive a World Series MVP Award (1971).  

 On December 31, 1972, Roberto Clement died in a plane crash while en route to deliver aid to earthquake victims in Nicaragua. His untimely death established the precedent that, as an alternative to the five-year retirement period, a player who has been deceased for at least six months is eligible for entry into the Hall of Fame.

-Gary Livacari

 Photo Credits: All found on Google Serach

 Information: Excerpts edited from the Roberto Clemente Wikipedia page. Read more at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roberto_Clemente

 Statistics: From the Roberto Clemente page on Baseball-Reference.com

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