What Roberto Clemente’s Death Still Says To Us 45 Years Later

The Federalist ^ | 01/01/2018 | David Marcus

[DFG]

Forty-five years ago today, baseball fans woke up to the news that the Pittsburgh Pirates’ star outfielder Roberto Clemente had been killed in an airplane crash on December 31 on his way to Nicaragua to deliver disaster relief after an earthquake.

A few months earlier, on September 30, 1972, Clemente had pulled a curveball from New York Met and Rookie of the Year Jon Matlack into the gap for a double. It was his 3,000th hit, and he had become only the 11th player in nearly a century of Major League Baseball to reach that milestone. It was also the last at-bat of his life.

[4yearlurker]

My wife and brother in law grew up just south of Pittsburgh. My BIL told me his dad took him to a game in old Forbes Field and saw Clemente catch a ball in the outfield and then throw a runner out at home plate.

[sneakers]

I still remember where I was when I heard Clemente died.

Hard to believe it’s been so long.

RIP Roberto.

[pepsionice]

I can think of about a dozen players who are vastly under-ranked on what they did in baseball, and he’s one of those guys. Had he been on a Dodger or Yankee team, I think he would have been more recognized for his contributions.

[stylin19a]

What Roberto Clemente’s Death Still Says To Us 45 Years Later

get a better plane ?

Semper Fi, Roberto.

[WriteRight]

Actually, that was Roberto's final regular season at bat. The final hit of his career came in Game 5 of the 1972 NL playoff at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati, a game won by the Reds when George Foster scored on a wild pitch by Pirate pitcher Bob Moose.

[catman67]

I saw that play also. I believe he caught the fly at the warning track;then threw directly to home. To me, that was one of baseball’s greatest plays. Right up there with Willie Mays’ catch.

[Buckeye McFrog]

With the felonious misbehavior by players that fills the sports page today, it is good to reflect on at least one superstar who died doing a totally selfless act.

[Old Teufel Hunden]

"George Foster scored on a wild pitch by Pirate pitcher Bob Moose."

And Bob Moose was not long for this world at that time as he died in a car crash a few years later. A lifelong Pittsburgh fan, I'll never forget my brothers and I crying when our mother told us that he had went down in a plane crash. For years, I fantasized that maybe he was living on a deserted island somewhere and would get picked up. Roberto's son got drafted by the Phillies I believe but I don't think he ever made it to the big leagues.

[carton253]

I remember that game. My dad and uncle were at Riverfront. I was stuck watching it at home. Big Red Machine!!

[bubbacluck]

Saw pretty much the same thing when they played at Dodger Stadium. I think I was only ten at the time but I can remember that accurate arm. Watching from the cheap seats, the right field bleachers!

[Varda]

Clemente was my favorite player. What a fabulous dominating performance in the 1971 World Series. As a kid I was perplexed by how common it was for people in western PA to bad-mouth him. After he died trying to help others, I rarely heard the negativity again. The area basically canonized him.

[A_Former_Democrat]

Me too. He was one of my favorites

[VietVet876]

I grew up in the sticks west of Philly and played organized baseball from age 8 to age 20. I was a Phillies fan and saw Clemente play several times at Connie Mack Stadium when the Pirates were in town. Roberto was my hitting hero since he liked to tee off on high outside pitches. For some reason, those were the only pitches I could really drive and every time I came up to bat by the time I played varsity in high school and American Legion, I would visualize him hitting before I stepped into the box.

[OrangeHoof]

What it tells me is that a man with everything to live for risked his life to bring aid to fellow latinos who were suffering and paid the ultimate price for it. Take nothing away from his baseball career but baseball wasn’t what this was all about.

The greatness of Roberto Clemente was that he sacrificed himself for total strangers in need and it cost him his life. There are soldiers among us who made the same sacrifice and there are aid workers and missionaries whose belief in a cause was greater than themselves.

Those should be our true heroes whom are mostly 180-degrees out of place in our pop culture society.

[Dilbert San Diego]

Yes, the Pirates were in the playoffs in ‘72, so he got some hits in the playoffs. But the 3,000 hits in his career are regular season hits only.

This is true for all players stats. When they tell us “so and so won 300 games”, “so and so hit 500 home runs”, “so and so had 3000 hits”, they always mean just the regular season statistics. Playoff statistics go in a separate category.

[Lisbon1940]

He was called Bob Clemente by Topps.

[Eric Pode of Croydon]

As a kid going to Wrigley Field, there were two opposing players I always wanted to see when they came to town.

Clemente, to see the outfield played as if by a super hero.

Bob Gibson, to see the best combination of arm and attitude ever. Terrifying.

[Prov1322]

I was a Phillies fan and saw Clemente play several times at Connie Mack Stadium when the Pirates were in town.

Same here. Absolute best childhood memories are those of being in the $1.00 bleachers (very well-worn, painted 2x6's) at Connie Mack Stadium with my grandfather. (Loved being with him and being at Connie Mack). Saw Clemente, Mays, McCovey, Musial, Spann, Koufax and many other greats from the 60's.

[NFHale]

“...With the felonious misbehavior by players that fills the sports page today,...”

Those were better days, better ways, and with better people, brother.

I was a 12 year old kid then. But I remember Roberto Clemente.