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Roberto Clemente
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==Professional career== ===Puerto Rican baseball (1952–1954)=== Clemente's professional career began at age 18 when he accepted a contract from Pedrín Zorrilla with [[Cangrejeros de Santurce (baseball)|Cangrejeros de Santurce]] ("Crabbers"), a winter league team and franchise of the [[Puerto Rican Professional Baseball League]] (LBPPR). Clemente signed with the team on October 9, 1952. He was a bench player during his first season but was promoted to the Cangrejeros' starting lineup the following season. During this season he hit .288 as the team's leadoff hitter.<ref>[[#Maraniss|Maraniss]], pp. 27.</ref> While Clemente was playing in the Puerto Rican League, the [[Brooklyn Dodgers]] offered him a contract of $15,000 – $10,000 bonus and $5000 league minimum salary. Clemente signed with them on February 19, 1954.<ref>[[#Maraniss|Maraniss]], pp. 36-38.</ref> ===Minor league baseball (1954)=== At the time of Clemente's signing, the [[bonus rule]] implemented by [[Major League Baseball]] was still in effect. The rule stipulated that when a major league team signed a player to a contract with a signing bonus in excess of $4,000 (${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|4000|1947|r=-3}}}} today), the team was required to keep that player on their 25-man active roster for two full seasons and failure to comply with the rule would result in the team losing the rights to that player's contract, and the player would then be exposed to the waiver wire.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-almanac.com/legendary/Bonus_Babies.shtml |title=MLB Bonus Babies |publisher=[[Baseball Almanac]]}}</ref> As Clemente's bonus was larger than $4,000, he was considered a bonus baby. However, the Dodgers decided against benching him for two years in the majors and decided to place him with the [[Montreal Royals]], their [[International League]] Triple-A affiliate. While it is often believed that the Dodgers instructed manager [[Max Macon]] to use Clemente sparingly to prevent him from being drafted under the [[Rule 5 Draft]], Macon himself denied it. Box scores also suggest that Macon platooned Clemente the same as he did with other outfielders.<ref>{{cite web |title=Max Macon (SABR BioProject) |url=https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/max-macon/ |publisher=[[Society for American Baseball Research]] |quote=Brooklyn general manager Buzzie Bavasi later acknowledged that the team hoped to hide Clemente so no other team would see his incandescent talent and draft him — as Pittsburgh did after the season... Researcher Stew Thornley found that Clemente was platooned for much of the season, starting only against left-handed pitchers, just as Macon platooned other outfielders.}}</ref> Affected early on by both climate and language differences, Clemente received assistance from bilingual teammates such as infielder [[Chico Fernandez]] and pitchers [[Tommy Lasorda]] and [[Joe Black]].{{efn|To what extent Lasorda assisted Clemente is open to debate. Fellow Royals hurler Joe Black categorically denies Lasorda's characterization of Clemente as unable to "speak one word of English": <blockquote>''"I saw him on the field and I said, 'Tommy, why did you tell that story?' He said, 'What do you mean?' I said, 'One: Clemente didn't hang out with you. Second: Clemente speaks English.' ... Puerto Rico, you know, is part of the United States. So, over there, youngsters do have the privilege of taking English in classrooms. He wouldn't give a speech like Shakespeare, but he knew how to order breakfast and eggs. He knew how to say, 'it's a good day,' 'let's play,' or 'why I don't play?' He could say, 'Let's go to the movies.'"''<ref>[[#Markusen|Markusen]], pp. 19–20.</ref></blockquote>}} Black was the original target of the [[Pittsburgh Pirates]]' scouting trip to [[Parker Field (Richmond)|Richmond]] on June 1, 1954. Noticing Clemente in batting practice, Pirates scout [[Clyde Sukeforth]] made inquiries and soon learned about Clemente's status as an unprotected [[bonus baby]].<ref>[[#Markusen|Markusen]], p. 23.</ref> Twelve years later, manager Macon acknowledged that "we tried to sneak him through the draft, but it didn't work" but denied being instructed to not play Clemente, stating that the player needed time to develop and was struggling against Triple-A pitching.<ref>{{cite web |title=Max Macon (SABR BioProject) |url=https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/max-macon/ |publisher=[[Society for American Baseball Research]] |quote=Macon always denied it, but he was not believed... "I never had any orders not to play Clemente," Macon said.}}</ref> However, Pittsburgh noticed his raw talents; as Sukeforth recalled years later, "I knew then he'd be our first draft choice. I told Montreal manager Max Macon to take good care of 'our boy' and see that he didn't get hurt."<ref>{{cite news |author= Biederman, Les |date=July 29, 1956 |url=http://www.mediafire.com/view/t1rmnke6tg5g1dt |title=Bob Clemente Discovered by Clyde Sukeforth |newspaper=[[The Pittsburgh Press]] |access-date=April 14, 2020}}</ref> In 87 games with the Royals, Clemente hit .257 with two home runs.<ref>{{cite web |title=Roberto Clemente Minor League Statistics |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=clemen004rob |website=Baseball-Reference.com}}</ref> The first home run of his North American baseball career came on July 25, 1954; Clemente's [[extra inning]], [[walk-off home run]] was hit in his first at-bat after entering the game as a [[defensive replacement]]. His only other minor league home run came on September 5. On his 20th birthday, August 8, he made a notable game-ending outfield [[assist (baseball)|assist]], cutting down the potential tying run at the plate.<ref>{{cite news |agency=[[United Press International|UPI]] |url=http://www.mediafire.com/view/ocuk9gj1hri4et3/.png |title=Clemente's Toss helps Beat Toronto |newspaper=[[Montreal Gazette]] |date=August 19, 1954}}</ref> At the end of the season, Clemente returned to play for Santurce where one of his teammates was [[Willie Mays]].<ref>[[#Maraniss|Maraniss]], pp. 54–58.</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Monagan |first1=Matt |title=Mays, Clemente in the same outfield? It happened |url=https://www.mlb.com/news/willie-mays-and-roberto-clemente-on-same-team |website=[[Major League Baseball|MLB.com]] |date=December 28, 2023}}</ref> While with the team, the Pirates made Clemente the first selection of the [[Rule 5 draft]] that took place on November 22, 1954.<ref>{{cite news |title=How the Pirates stole Roberto Clemente from the Dodgers |url=https://www.espn.com/blog/sweetspot/post/_/id/62869/how-the-pirates-stole-roberto-clemente-from-the-dodgers |author=Schoenfield, David |work=[[ESPN]] |date=September 16, 2015}}</ref> ===Major League Baseball (1955–1972)=== For all but the first seven weeks of his major league career, Clemente wore number 21, so chosen because his full name of Roberto Clemente Walker had that many letters.<ref>{{cite news |author=Ziants, Steve |url=https://www.questia.com/ynewspaper/1P2-39483987/the-history |title=The History: Back Stories in Time; Things We Thought We Knew (Or Never Thought About) |newspaper=[[Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]] |date=April 3, 2016}}</ref> For his first few weeks, Clemente wore the number 13, as his teammate [[Earl Smith (1950s outfielder)|Earl Smith]] was wearing number 21. It was later reassigned to Clemente.<ref name="13 to 21">{{cite news |author=Biederman, Les |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=AXsbAAAAIBAJ&sjid=3k0EAAAAIBAJ&pg=5026%2C2951642&dq=roberto-changed-number |title=The Scoreboard |newspaper=[[The Pittsburgh Press]] |date=May 25, 1955}}</ref> During the off-seasons (except the 1958–59, 1962–63, 1965–66, 1968–69, 1971–72, and 1972–73 seasons), Clemente played professionally for the [[Cangrejeros de Santurce (baseball)|Cangrejeros de Santurce]], [[Criollos de Caguas (baseball)|Criollos de Caguas]], and [[Senadores de San Juan]] in the [[Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente|Liga de Béisbol Profesional de Puerto Rico]], where he was considered a star. He sometimes managed the San Juan team. [[File:Roberto Clemente marines shot.jpg|thumb|right|upright=0.8|Clemente in the [[U.S. Marine Corps Reserve]] in September 1958.]] In September 1958, Clemente joined the [[United States Marine Corps Reserve]]. He served his six-month active duty commitment at [[Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island|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.<ref>[[#Maraniss|Maraniss]], p. 88.</ref> The rigorous Marine Corps training programs helped Clemente physically; he added strength by gaining ten pounds and said his back troubles, caused by being in a 1954 auto accident, disappeared as a result of the training. He was a [[Private First Class|private first class]] in the Marine Corps Reserve until September 1964.<ref>{{cite news|title=Clemente to Start Six-Month Marine Corps Hitch, October 4|newspaper=[[The Sporting News]]|date=September 24, 1958|page=7}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Buc Flyhawk Now Marine Rookie|newspaper=[[The Sporting News]]|date=November 19, 1958|page=13}}</ref><ref name="Marine">{{cite web|title=Marine Corps Sports Hall of Fame – Roberto Clemente |url=http://www.usmc-mccs.org/sports/hof/2003-clemente.cfm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930021256/http://www.usmc-mccs.org/sports/hof/2003-clemente.cfm |archive-date=September 30, 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Clemente would face racism throughout his Major League career, particularly from journalists. Former Pirates teammate [[Bill Mazeroski]] wrote that some sports writers, "tried to make him look like an ass by getting him to say controversial things and then they wrote how the Puerto Rican hot dog was popping off again."<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt155jn13 |title=Pirates Reader |date=2003 |publisher=University of Pittsburgh Press |doi=10.2307/j.ctt155jn13 |jstor=j.ctt155jn13 |isbn=978-0-8229-4199-6}}</ref> The language barrier between Clemente and the American journalists created a divide which led Clemente to be distrustful of the media. Mazeroski wrote that, "writers who couldn't speak three words of Spanish tried to make him look silly, but he's an intelligent man who knows people and knows the game."<ref>{{Cite book |url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt155jn13 |title=Pirates Reader |date=2014-10-15 |publisher=University of Pittsburgh Press |isbn=978-0-8229-8059-9 |editor-last=Peterson |editor-first=Richard |doi=10.2307/j.ctt155jn13.51|jstor=j.ctt155jn13 }}</ref> Clemente's disagreements with the media were worsened by his open expression of anger at the continued discrimination in baseball.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Rader |first=Benjamin G. |url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5406/j.ctv9hvrv9 |title=Baseball: A History of America's Game |date=2018-10-30 |publisher=University of Illinois Press |isbn=978-0-252-05079-4 |doi=10.5406/j.ctv9hvrv9.17|jstor=10.5406/j.ctv9hvrv9 }}</ref> His outspoken nature earned him a reputation for being hot-tempered that followed him through his career.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Rader |first=Benjamin G. |url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5406/j.ctv9hvrv9 |title=Baseball: A History of America's Game |date=2018-10-30 |publisher=University of Illinois Press |isbn=978-0-252-05079-4 |doi=10.5406/j.ctv9hvrv9.17|jstor=10.5406/j.ctv9hvrv9 }}</ref> ====Early years==== The Pirates struggled through several difficult seasons through the 1950s. They did have a winning season in 1958, their first since 1948. Clemente debuted with the Pirates on April 17, 1955, wearing uniform number 13, in the first game of a doubleheader against the [[Brooklyn Dodgers]]. Early in his career with the Pirates, he was frustrated by racial and ethnic tensions, with sniping by the local media and some teammates. Clemente responded to this by saying "I don't believe in color." He said that, during his upbringing, he was taught never to discriminate against someone based on ethnicity. Clemente was at a double disadvantage, as he was a Latin American and Caribbean player whose first language was Spanish and was of African descent. Clemente's hometown newspaper, the ''San Juan Star'' wrote that, "Clemente is a black Puerto Rican. That makes him doubly dubious. His native tongue is foreign to button-down America, and so is his color."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Briley |first=Ron |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt2tvcq4?turn_away=true |title=Sports and the Racial Divide: African American and Latino Experience in an Era of Change |last2=Ezra |first2=Michael |last3=Fields |first3=Sarah K. |last4=Hawkins |first4=Billy |last5=Iber |first5=Jorge |last6=Kemper |first6=Kurt Edward |last7=Regalado |first7=Samuel O. |last8=Santillan |first8=Richard |last9=Smith |first9=Maureen |date=2008 |publisher=University Press of Mississippi |isbn=978-1-60473-014-2}}</ref> The year before, the Pirates had hired [[Curt Roberts]], their first African-American player. They were the fifth team in the NL and ninth in the major leagues to do so, seven years after [[Jackie Robinson]] broke baseball's color line by joining the Dodgers.<ref name="SportsCentury">''[[SportsCentury]]'': Roberto Clemente</ref> When Clemente arrived in Pittsburgh, Roberts befriended him and helped him adjust to life in the major league, as well as in the Pittsburgh area.<ref name="Bouchette">{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=tMtRAAAAIBAJ&pg=4054,5029992&dq=curt+roberts|title=Roberts Bucs' forgotten pioneer|last=Bouchette|first=Ed|date=May 15, 1987|newspaper=[[Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]]|pages=19, 22|access-date=March 10, 2012}}</ref> During his rookie season, Clemente had to sit out several games, as he had suffered a lower back injury in Puerto Rico the previous winter. A speeding, drunk driver rammed into his car at an intersection. He finished his rookie season with a .255 batting average, despite trouble hitting certain types of pitches. His defensive skills were highlighted during this season. [[File:Roberto Clemente - Pittsburgh Pirates - 1957.jpg|thumb|upright=0.75|Clemente in 1957]] The following season, on July 25, 1956, at [[Forbes Field]], Clemente erased a three-run, ninth-inning deficit against the Chicago Cubs with a bases-clearing [[inside-the-park home run]]<ref>{{cite news|last1=Hernon|first1=Jack|title=Bucs Bounce Back After Losing Lead|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=4pVRAAAAIBAJ&pg=6290%2C1323281|access-date=September 26, 2016|newspaper=[[Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]]|date=July 26, 1956}}</ref> off pitcher [[Jim Brosnan]],<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Espada |first=Martín |date=2015 |title=Clemente's Overzealous Romp: Roberto Clemente and Baseball as Theater |url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/24494489 |journal=The Massachusetts Review |volume=56 |issue=2 |pages=249–255 |jstor=24494489 |issn=0025-4878}}</ref> thus becoming the first—and, as yet, only—player in modern Major League history (since 1900) to hit a documented walk-off, inside-the-park [[grand slam (baseball)|grand slam]].<ref>McEntire, Madison (2006). ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=qCnZVMfGuTsC&pg=PA52&dq=%22clemente+rallied+the+pirates+past+the+cubs%22 Big League Trivia: Facts, Figures, Oddities, and Coincidences from Our National Pastime]''. Bloomington, IN: AuthorHouse. p. 52–53. {{ISBN|1-4259-1292-3}}. See also: * McEntire, op. cit., [https://books.google.com/books?id=qCnZVMfGuTsC&pg=PP11&dq=%22Unless+stated+otherwise%22 p. ix].</ref> While rounding third, Clemente ran through a stop sign from Pirates manager [[Bobby Bragan]], a decision which infuriated Brosnan. In the October 24, 1960, edition of ''Life'' magazine, Brosnan wrote that Clemente's heroics, "excited the fans, startled the manager, shocked me and disgusted my club."<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Espada |first=Martín |date=2015 |title=Clemente's Overzealous Romp: Roberto Clemente and Baseball as Theater |url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/24494489 |journal=The Massachusetts Review |volume=56 |issue=2 |pages=249–255 |jstor=24494489 |issn=0025-4878}}</ref> After the game, Bragan announced that Clemente would not be fined the $25 that was the standard punishment for a player who missed a sign.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Espada |first=Martín |date=2015 |title=Clemente's Overzealous Romp: Roberto Clemente and Baseball as Theater |url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/24494489 |journal=The Massachusetts Review |volume=56 |issue=2 |pages=249–255 |jstor=24494489 |issn=0025-4878}}</ref> Pittsburgh-based sportswriter [[John Steigerwald]] said that a walk-off, inside-the-park grand slam, "''may'' have been done only once in the history of baseball."<ref name=RCUHRbyJS>{{cite news |author=Steigerwald, John |url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/33551801/ |title=This Was Clemente's Grandest Slam |newspaper=[[Indiana Gazette]] |date=July 23, 2006 |access-date=September 4, 2015 |quote=On July 25, 1956, Roberto Clemente did something that may have been done only once in the history of baseball. And I was there to see it}}</ref> Clemente was still fulfilling his Marine Corps Reserve duty during spring of 1959 and set to be released from [[Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune|Camp Lejeune]] until April 4. A Pennsylvania state senator, [[John M. Walker (Pennsylvania politician)|John M. Walker]], wrote to US Senator [[Hugh Scott]] requesting an early release on March 4 so Clemente could join the team for spring training.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://prologue.blogs.archives.gov/2014/07/17/roberto-clemente-a-legacy-beyond-baseball/|title=Roberto Clemente, A Legacy Beyond Baseball|date=July 17, 2014|work=Pieces of History|access-date=October 11, 2017|language=en-US}}</ref> ====Stardom==== Early in the 1960 season, Clemente led the league with a .353 batting average, and the 14 [[extra-base hit]]s and 25 [[Run batted in|RBIs]] recorded in May alone resulted in Clemente's selection as the [[National League (baseball)|National League]]'s [[Major League Baseball Player of the Month|Player of the Month]].<ref>{{cite news |agency=United Press International |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=kzAgAAAAIBAJ&sjid=I08EAAAAIBAJ&pg=5148%2C1037333 |title=Clemente NL's 'Best in May': Roberto Solid Choice for Award |newspaper=[[The Pittsburgh Press]] |date=June 4, 1960}}</ref> His batting average would remain above the .300 mark throughout the course of the campaign. On August 5 at [[Forbes Field]], Clemente crashed into the right-field wall while making a pivotal play, depriving [[San Francisco Giants|San Francisco]]'s [[Willie Mays]] of a [[Leadoff batter|leadoff]], extra-base hit in a game eventually won by Pittsburgh, 1–0. The resulting injury necessitated five stitches to the chin and a five-game layoff for Clemente, while the catch itself was described by Giants beat writer [[Bob Stevens (sportswriter)|Bob Stevens]] as "rank[ing] with the greatest of all time, as well as one of the most frightening to watch and painful to make."<ref>{{cite news |author=Stevens, Bob |title=Spectacular Game: Virdon Circles Bases on Error |newspaper=[[San Francisco Chronicle]] |date=August 6, 1960}}</ref> The Pirates compiled a 95–59 record during the regular season, winning the NL pennant, and defeated the [[New York Yankees]] in a seven-game [[1960 World Series|World Series]]. Clemente batted .310 in the series, hitting safely at least once in every game.<ref name=AP:CBBB>{{cite news |agency=Associated Press |url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1973/01/02/page/53/article/clemente-baseballs-big-bargain |title=Clemente: Baseball's Biggest Bargain |newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]] |date=January 2, 1973}}</ref> His .314 batting average, 16 home runs, and defensive playing during the course of the season had earned him his first spot on the NL [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star]] roster as a reserve player, and he replaced [[Hank Aaron]] in right field during the 7th and 8th innings in the second All-Star game held that season (two All-Star games were held each season from 1959 through 1962).<ref name=clemente-stats>{{cite web |title=Roberto Clemente Career Statistics |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/clemero01.shtml |website=Baseball-Reference.com}}</ref> During spring training in 1961, following advice from Pirates' batting coach [[George Sisler]], Clemente tried to modify his batting technique by using a heavier bat to slow the speed of his swing. During the 1961 season, Clemente was named the starting NL right fielder for the first of two All-Star games and went 2 for 4; he hit a triple on his first at-bat and scored the team's first run, then drove in the second with a [[sacrifice fly]]. With the AL ahead 4–3 in the 10th inning, he teamed with fellow future [[National Baseball Hall of Fame|HOFers]] [[Hank Aaron]], [[Willie Mays]], and [[Frank Robinson]] to engineer a come-from-behind 5–4 NL victory, culminating in Clemente's [[walk-off home run|walk-off]] single off [[knuckleball]]er [[Hoyt Wilhelm]]. 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. That season he received his first [[Gold Glove Award]].<ref name=clemente-stats/> Following the 1961 season, he traveled to Puerto Rico along with [[Orlando Cepeda]], who was a native of [[Ponce, Puerto Rico|Ponce]]. When both players arrived, they were received by 18,000 people. During this time, he was also involved in managing the [[Senadores de San Juan]] of the Puerto Rican League, as well as playing with the team during the major league off-season. During the course of the winter league, Clemente injured his thigh while doing some work at home but wanted to participate in the league's all-star game. He pinch-hit in the game and got a single, but experienced a complication of his injury as a result, and had to undergo surgery shortly after being carried off the playing field. This condition limited his role with the Pirates in the first half of the 1965 season, during which he batted .257. Although he was inactive for many games, when he returned to the regular starting lineup, he got hits in 33 out of 34 games and his batting average climbed up to .340.<ref name=clemente-stats/> He participated as a pinch hitter and replaced [[Willie Stargell]] playing left field during the All-Star Game on July 15. [[File:Roberto Clemente - Pittsburgh Pirates - 1966.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|Clemente in 1966]] 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 .300—and a Gold Glove winner for each of his final 12 seasons, beginning in 1961. He won the NL [[batting title]] four times: 1961, 1964, 1965, and 1967, and won the league's [[Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award|MVP Award]] in 1966, hitting .317 with a career-high 29 home runs and 119 RBIs. In 1967, Clemente registered a career-high .357 batting average, hit 23 home runs, and batted in 110 runs. Following that season, in an informal poll conducted by [[Sport (US magazine)|''Sport Magazine'']] at baseball's [[Winter Meetings]], a plurality of major league [[General manager (baseball)|GMs]] declared Clemente "the best player in baseball today," edging out AL [[Triple Crown (baseball)|Triple Crown]] winner [[Carl Yastrzemski]] by a margin of 8 to 6, with one vote each going to [[Hank Aaron]], [[Bob Gibson]], [[Bill Freehan]] and [[Ron Santo]].<ref>[[#Markusen|Markusen]], p. 171.</ref> In an effort to make him seem more American, sportswriters started calling him "Bob" or "Bobby". His baseball cards even listed him as "Bob Clemente", a practice that persisted through to 1969. He disliked the practice, which he felt was disrespectful to his Puerto Rican and Latino heritage. Clemente would correct reporters who referred to him as "Bob" during post-game interviews, but the issue continued throughout the 1960s.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://baseballhall.org/discover/baseball-history/clemente-overcame-societal-barriers-en-route-to-superstardom |title=Clemente overcame societal barriers en route to superstardom |author=Markusen, Bruce |publisher=[[National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum]]}}</ref> ====Final seasons==== The 1970 season was the last one that the Pirates played at [[Forbes Field]] before moving to [[Three Rivers Stadium]]; for Clemente, abandoning this stadium was an emotional situation. The Pirates' final game at Forbes Field occurred on June 28, 1970. That day, Clemente said that it was hard to play in a different field, saying, "I spent half my life there." The night of July 24, 1970, was declared "Roberto Clemente Night"; on this day, several Puerto Rican fans traveled to Three Rivers Stadium and cheered Clemente while wearing traditional Puerto Rican attire. A ceremony to honor Clemente took place, during which he received a scroll with 300,000 signatures compiled in Puerto Rico, and several thousands of dollars were donated to charity work following Clemente's request. During the 1970 season, Clemente compiled a .352 batting average; the Pirates won the [[National League East|NL East]] pennant but were subsequently eliminated by the [[Cincinnati Reds]]. During the offseason, Roberto Clemente experienced some tense situations while he was working as manager of the Senadores and when his father, Melchor Clemente, experienced medical problems and underwent surgery. In the 1971 season, the Pirates won the NL East, defeated the [[San Francisco Giants]] in four games to win the NL pennant, and faced the [[Baltimore Orioles]] in the [[1971 World Series|World Series]]. Baltimore had won 101 games (third season in row with 100+ wins) and swept the [[1971 American League Championship Series|American League Championship Series]], both for the third consecutive year, and were the defending World Series champions. The Orioles won the first two games in the series, but Pittsburgh won the championship in seven games. This marked the second occasion that Clemente helped win a World Series for the Pirates. Over the course of the series, Clemente had a .414 batting average (12 hits in 29 [[at bat|at-bats]]), performed well defensively, and hit a solo home run in the deciding 2–1 seventh game victory.<ref name="ESPN 2"/> Following the conclusion of the season, he received the [[World Series Most Valuable Player Award]].<ref name=clemente-stats/> Although he was frustrated and struggling with injuries,<ref name=srvankl>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=m9kvAAAAIBAJ&pg=7459%2C5122874 |newspaper=[[The Spokesman-Review]] |agency=Associated Press |title=Ankles keeping Clemente down |date=August 15, 1972 |page=15}}</ref> Clemente played in 102 games and hit .312 during the [[1972 Pittsburgh Pirates season|1972 season]].<ref name="ESPN 2"/> He also made the annual NL All-Star roster for the fifteenth (15th) time (he played in 14/15 All-Star games)<ref name="pittsburgh.pirates.mlb.com">Official Pittsburgh Pirates Site, Roberto Clemente – #21, "12-time All-Star" [http://pittsburgh.pirates.mlb.com/pit/history/retired_numbers.jsp] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130201050352/http://pittsburgh.pirates.mlb.com/pit/history/retired_numbers.jsp|date=February 1, 2013}} Retrieved September 20, 2015</ref> and won his twelfth consecutive Gold Glove. On September 30, he hit a [[double (baseball)|double]] in the fourth inning off [[Jon Matlack]] of the [[1972 New York Mets season|New York Mets]] at Three Rivers Stadium for his 3,000th.<ref name=bbsmzk>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=rXcqAAAAIBAJ&pg=4436%2C402538 |newspaper=[[The Pittsburgh Press]] |last=Smizik |first=Bob |title=Roberto gets 3,000th, will rest until playoffs |date=October 1, 1972 |page=D1}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/official_info/community/clemente.jsp|title=Roberto Clemente Award|publisher=Major League Baseball|access-date=December 9, 2007}}</ref> It was his last regular season at-bat of his career. By playing in right field in one more regular season game, on October 3, Clemente tied [[Honus Wagner]]'s record for games played as a Pittsburgh Pirate, with 2,433 games played. In the NL playoffs that season, he batted .235 as he went 4 for 17. His last game was October 11, 1972, at Cincinnati's [[Riverfront Stadium (Cincinnati)|Riverfront Stadium]] in the fifth and final game of the [[1972 National League Championship Series|1972 NLCS]], won by the Reds in the bottom of the 9th inning. Clemente had his final hit (single) in the 1st inning; his final plate appearance was an intentional walk in the 8th inning.<ref name="ESPN 2">{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/classic/biography/s/Clemente_Roberto.html|title=Clemente quietly grew in stature|author=Larry Schwartz|publisher=ESPN|access-date=December 9, 2007}}</ref> He and [[Bill Mazeroski]] were the last Pirate players remaining from the 1960 World Series championship team.
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