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Roberto Walker Clemente
Pittsburgh Pirates
Outfield
Born: August 18, 1934, Carolina, Puerto Rico
Signed: Signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers as an amateur free agent, February 1954
Major League Teams: Pittsburgh Pirates 1955-1972World Series Appearances: Pittsburgh Pirates 1960, 1971
Died: December 31, 1972, San Juan, Puerto Rico (age 38)
Hall of Fame Induction: 1973
One of the most prolific pure hitters of the 1960s, and a true five-tool talent, Roberto Clemente played his entire 18-year career with the Pirates, leading them to World Series titles in 1960 and 1971. He was a 15-time All-Star, a 12-time Gold Glove winner, the N.L. MVP in 1966 and the World Series MVP in 1971. A four-time batting champ, Clemente joined the exclusive 3,000 hit club in the second to last game he'd ever play on September 30, 1972. At the time, he was the 11th player in baseball history to join the club. A few months later, and less than 10 weeks after the passing of Jackie Robinson, Clemente died in a plane crash off the coast of Puerto Rico while en route to deliver earthquake relief supplies to Nicaragua.
The pride of Puerto Rico, Clemente's legacy lives on through the countless Latino baseball players he's inspired over the past four decades.
Hall of Fame Induction: 1973
One of the most prolific pure hitters of the 1960s, and a true five-tool talent, Roberto Clemente played his entire 18-year career with the Pirates, leading them to World Series titles in 1960 and 1971. He was a 15-time All-Star, a 12-time Gold Glove winner, the N.L. MVP in 1966 and the World Series MVP in 1971. A four-time batting champ, Clemente joined the exclusive 3,000 hit club in the second to last game he'd ever play on September 30, 1972. At the time, he was the 11th player in baseball history to join the club. A few months later, and less than 10 weeks after the passing of Jackie Robinson, Clemente died in a plane crash off the coast of Puerto Rico while en route to deliver earthquake relief supplies to Nicaragua.
The pride of Puerto Rico, Clemente's legacy lives on through the countless Latino baseball players he's inspired over the past four decades.
Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1956 Topps blog.
Building the Set / Card #30
December 3, 2022 from The Philly Show (Bob Lennon)
At the outset of The Philly Show, more formally known as the Philadelphia Sports Collectors Show, held within the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania, we needed just four cards to complete our 1965 Topps set. We arrived at the show in a steady rain right after doors opened at 9am, secured our autograph tickets and started walking the floor prior to the arrival of most of the crowd. My goal for the show was simple: Find those last four cards needed to complete our 1965 Topps set. I wrote a full summary of the show in this post over at The Phillies Room.
The Card / Pirates Team Set / Accuracy Index +5
1969 Season
In one of his best seasons statistically, Clemente appeared in 138 games, batting .345 with 19 home runs and 91 RBIs. He was the runner-up for the National League batting crown, with Pete Rose (#120) nudging him out of the top spot with a .348 average. Clemente led the league with 12 triples. As was the norm during his career, he was again named to the All-Star team and won a Gold Glove following the season. He didn't reveal the incident at the time, but Clemente later told a Pittsburgh journalist he had been briefly kidnapped and held at gunpoint while the Pirates were on a road trip to San Diego in late May.
Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card: 1955 Topps #164
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (23): 1955-1973, 1975, 1987, 1998, 2001
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2022 Topps Update Legend Variation #US21
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 2,580 in the Beckett online database as of 1/14/23.
Sources:
Baseball Reference / SABR
December 3, 2022 from The Philly Show (Bob Lennon)
At the outset of The Philly Show, more formally known as the Philadelphia Sports Collectors Show, held within the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania, we needed just four cards to complete our 1965 Topps set. We arrived at the show in a steady rain right after doors opened at 9am, secured our autograph tickets and started walking the floor prior to the arrival of most of the crowd. My goal for the show was simple: Find those last four cards needed to complete our 1965 Topps set. I wrote a full summary of the show in this post over at The Phillies Room.
The first two cards needed to complete our set took a while to find, but I eventually added the Orlando Cepeda and Gordy Coleman cards within the first hour of walking around. I still have no idea why the Coleman card proved to be so elusive. I had seen the card at various shows throughout the past few years, but all copies seemed to be banged up with soft corners. I finally found a Coleman card in decent shape from dealer Bob Lennon and spying this Clemente card at the same table I found the Coleman card, I swung a reasonable deal to add that card as well. I told the dealer this Clemente card marked our first big purchase for our new 1969 Topps set, which seemed to genuinely make his day. I didn't know at the time I'd still add two even bigger star cards to our set before leaving the show, and 11 cards overall would be added.
Topps reprinted this card as part of the Roberto Clemente Commemorative Reprints insert set included in packs of its 1998 Topps flagship offering. The back of the card contains Clemente's amazing statistics from his first 14 years in the majors.
Accuracy Index: Clemente scores a solid +5, and given his career exclusivity with the Pirates that wasn't a tough score for Topps to achieve.
Inserts: Clemente is included in the 35 card Topps Deckle Edge insert set and is one of 48 decals in the Topps Decals insert set. He's one of 27 players and one of only eight future Hall of Famers to appear in both insert sets.
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1969 Season
In one of his best seasons statistically, Clemente appeared in 138 games, batting .345 with 19 home runs and 91 RBIs. He was the runner-up for the National League batting crown, with Pete Rose (#120) nudging him out of the top spot with a .348 average. Clemente led the league with 12 triples. As was the norm during his career, he was again named to the All-Star team and won a Gold Glove following the season. He didn't reveal the incident at the time, but Clemente later told a Pittsburgh journalist he had been briefly kidnapped and held at gunpoint while the Pirates were on a road trip to San Diego in late May.
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First Mainstream Card: 1955 Topps #164
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (23): 1955-1973, 1975, 1987, 1998, 2001
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2022 Topps Update Legend Variation #US21
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 2,580 in the Beckett online database as of 1/14/23.
Sources:
Baseball Reference / SABR
Still regret trading this card away. Received a very nice card in exchange but all these years later, it'd probably be easier for me to obtain the card I received than both cards I traded.
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