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Clemente was born in Carolina, Puerto Rico, the youngest of four children. He played 18 seasons in the majors from 1955 to 1972, all with the Pittsburgh Pirates, winning the NL MVP Award in 1966.
Clemente was a 4-time NL batting champion, finishing in the top ten in batting average thirteen times. He finished his career with exactly 3,000 hits, the last one coming on what would turn out to be the last at-bat of his career. He also had one of the most powerful throwing arms of any outfielder in baseball history, which contributed to him winning 11 Gold GloveIn American baseball, the Rawlings Gold Glove Award usually referred to simply as the Gold Glove is the award annually given to the Major League player judged to be the most "superior individual fielding performance" at each position (in each league), ass for his outstanding defense.
A hero in his native Puerto Rico, Clemente spent much of his time during the off-season involved in charity work. He died in a plane crash off the coast of Carolina on December 31, 1972 while in route to deliver aid to earthquake victims in NicaraguaNicaragua is a republic in Central America. It is the largest Central American nation but the least densely populated. It is bordered on the north by Honduras and on south by Costa Rica. Its western coastline is on the Pacific Ocean, while the east side o.
Puerto Rico has honored Roberto Clemente's memory by naming the coliseum in San Juan, Puerto RicoSan Juan is the capital of Puerto Rico. The city is located in the northeastern part of the island of Puerto Rico. San Juan was founded by Spanish colonists in 1521 and is regarded as the oldest city in the United States of America. Today, San Juan serves Coliseo Roberto Clemente. His native city, Carolina, has a sports complex called the "City of Roberto Clemente" (Ciudad Roberto Clemente). In Pittsburgh a bridge was named after him and the Pirates retired his number 21. Meanwhile, MLB presents the Roberto Clemente Award every year to the player who best follows Clemente's example with humanitarian work. Clemente was also posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of FreedomThe Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian award in the United States. It was established by President Harry Truman in 1945 to honor service during WWII. President John F. Kennedy revived the medal and began the tradition of awarding the me.