The Bungalow Episode 3: The Lasting Impact of Roberto Clemente

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 The Bungalow
Episode 3: The Lasting Impact of Roberto Clemente

This episode we are taking a look at the life of Roberto Clemente and his impact in Pittsburgh. Clemente was born in Carolina, Puerto Rico on August 18th, 1934. Clemente had a modest upbringing, balancing helping on the plantation with his sports ambitions. He excelled at high jump and javelin throw in high school, sparking discussion that he could be an Olympic hopeful. His true passion remained baseball, however. At age 17, Clemente began playing for Santurce Crabbers of the Puerto Rican Baseball League, where he was soon spotted by Dodgers’ scout Al Campanis. After being courted by multiple teams, Clemente signed with the Dodgers and played for their Triple-A team The Montreal Royals for the 1954 season. This placement made Clemente eligible for the player draft and he was taken as a first round pick by the Pittsburgh Pirates, who placed dead last that season.

Clemente played an unremarkable five seasons throughout the rest of the 50s. Part of this underperformance was no doubt due to the culture shock Clemente faced coming to the US from Puerto Rico. For one, English was Clemente’s second language, so he struggled with it for his first couple years in the States. This move was also when Clemente first encountered Jim Crow, experiencing institutionalized segregation for the first time during spring training in Florida, where he wasn’t even allowed to stay in the same hotel as his teammates.

Eventually though, Clemente found his footing. Starting in 1960, where he led his team to win the World Series, Clemente became an undisputed star. Over the next decade, Clemente won four National League Batting titles, 12 Gold Glove awards, and the National League MVP in 1966. In 1971, The Pirates would return to the World Series, led by Clemente. He would win the MVP award for the Series.

During his offseasons, Clemente was heavily involved in charitable causes. He hosted free baseball clinics for the youth of Puerto Rico and donated significant financial aid to Puerto Rico, The Dominican Republic, and other Central American countries. It was this charity, however, that would tragically lead to Clemente’s early death. In late 1972, Nicaragua was devastated by a major earthquake, and Clemente volunteered to coordinate Puerto Rico’s relief effort. When word came that the Somoza regime was seizing this aid, however, Clemente sought to oversee its delivery himself. On New Year's Eve 1972, Clemente boarded his ill fated flight aboard an overloaded and ill-maintained DC-7 cargo plane. The plane crashed soon after takeoff, with little recovered from the site. 

Today Clemente’s legacy remains as an All-Star, Humanitarian, and a pioneer for Puerto Rican, black, and Latine athletes. This legacy is being carefully maintained by the Roberto Clemente Museum, here in Pittsburgh. We had the chance to tour the location and to interview the founder.

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