MLB; Published by Nathalie Alonso
There was no doubt that Roberto Clemente was bound for the Hall of Fame when he stepped off the field on Oct. 11, 1972, at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati — the day the Reds eliminated his Pirates in Game 5 of that year’s National League Championship Series. Less than two weeks earlier, on Sept. 30, the last day of the regular season, the Puerto Rican-born outfielder had notched his 3,000th career hit with a double. Only 10 other men before him had reached that number, and as the 11th, Clemente was guaranteed a plaque in Cooperstown.
His other credentials were also overwhelming: In 18 Major League seasons, all of them with Pittsburgh, Clemente had also clobbered 240 home runs, driven in 1,305 runs, won 12 consecutive Gold Gloves in right field from 1961-72 (tied with Willie Mays for the most by an outfielder) and been named the 1966 National League MVP.
He finished 1972 with a .317 career regular-season batting average. And numbers like his 255 career assists in right field — a National League record since at least 1900 — and lifetime .973 fielding percentage (a rudimentary measure compared to today’s next-level metrics) hardly do justice to his powerful, accurate throwing arm and spectacular, acrobatic catches. Read more
