NEW YORK — It didn’t take 3,000 hits to cement Roberto Clemente’s legacy as a baseball icon.
The groundbreaking Hall of Famer’s tireless efforts as a humanitarian and activist off the field were just as prolific as his dominance on it, and his impact remains bigger than ever 50 years after his untimely death.
Events honoring the former Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder are taking place throughout September in New York and his native Puerto Rico, while MLB players and coaches get the chance to wear his No. 21 on Sept. 15 for the league’s annual Roberto Clemente Day.
“He was a complete human being,” says Mariela Vallines, the executive director of the Puerto Rico Convention District Authority, which organized Clemente celebrations throughout the island.
“He was a great father. He was a great husband. He was a great player. He was a great humanitarian. At the end of the day, that’s what Puerto Ricans aspire to be — just a great human being.”
Clemente died at age 38 on Dec. 31, 1972, in a plane crash on his way to deliver aid packages to Nicaragua following a devastating earthquake in the country’s capital of Managua.
His death occurred just three months after he recorded the 3,000th and final hit of his career in a game in Pittsburgh against the Mets, making him the 11th player to reach the milestone.
The Mets host the Pirates this year on Roberto Clemente Day, with Puerto Rican artist José Feliciano set to sing the National Anthem at Citi Field.
A domino tournament using handmade, limited-edition domino sets featuring No. 21 will take place before the game at Terrace on the Park in Queens. A hundred participants were expected to compete from 1-4 p.m. in the event billed as the #WeAre21 VIP Domino Tournament.
“We are a family,” Manuel Oquendo, president of the nonprofit Dominousa, told Viva. “We are 21. Everyone is No. 21 on that day.”
A painting of Clemente by Puerto Rican artist Pablo Marcano Garcia will appear in New York City subway stations this month and is also included as a poster in the latest edition of Viva. The painting shows Clemente surrounded by butterflies to represent his “transformation,” and fish to pay homage to his coastal hometown of Carolina, Puerto Rico, Marcano Garcia told Viva.
“Always, he was trying to be better, but he becomes a symbol of humanity, of love to the neighbor,” Marcano Garcia said. “He proved that when you put the best of you, you can transform and reach your goals.”
Festivities in Puerto Rico are already underway, with an exhibit at the Puerto Rican Convention Center displaying items from Clemente’s career through Oct. 15. A 20-foot-by-20-foot painting of Clemente will be inaugurated at the convention center this month and will be permanently displayed there.
A light show depicting key moments from Clemente’s career will take place at the governor’s mansion in San Juan every night from Sept. 15-30, while a viewing party for the documentary “3,000 Reasons” is scheduled for Sept. 30. Local TV stations will also air Clemente-related content on Sept. 30 at the exact time he picked up his 3,000th hit on that day five decades ago.
“As governor of Puerto Rico, I am honored to applaud Roberto Clemente’s legacy, 50 years after he became the first Hispanic with 3,000 hits as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates,” Puerto Rico Governor Pedro Pierluisi told Viva.
“He embodied Puerto Rican pride, and if his success on the baseball diamond was exceptional, it was his character and service towards those less fortunate that best describe the man he was.
“Roberto Clemente paved the way for many Puerto Ricans in Major League Baseball, he set an example in the sport for many to follow, and his name continues to inspire the same pride today than it did that great day in September of 1972,” Pierluisi added. “His name is synonymous with excellence in sports and social responsibility in life. Clemente lived and played like a champion, and died as a hero. Our hero.”
Clemente began his professional baseball career in Puerto Rico, debuting with Cangrejeros de Santurce as an 18-year-old in 1952. He made his MLB debut in 1955 with the Pirates and spent each of his 18 seasons with the team.
Although he didn’t boast the prodigious power of Hank Aaron or Willie Mays, Clemente quickly established himself as one of his era’s best all-around players — a rare five-tool talent who impacted games with his hitting, defense and speed.
Clemente was a four-time National League batting champion, a 15-time All-Star, a 12-time Gold Glove winner and the National League’s Most Valuable Player in 1966, making him the first player from the Caribbean and Latin America to win the honor. He batted over .300 during 13 of his seasons, and led the Pirates to World Series championships in 1960 and 1971.
His arrival came just eight years after Jackie Robinson became the MLB’s first Black player. The Jim Crow Laws that demanded racial segregation were still in place when he debuted. Clemente, who was Afro-Latino, championed the push for inclusion.
The National Baseball Hall of Fame inducted Clemente in 1973, shortly after his death, making him the first inductee from the Caribbean and Latin America. Players aren’t eligible for enshrinement until five years after retiring, but the Hall changed its rule for Clemente to allow posthumous inaugurations after six months.
The Pirates retired Clemente’s No. 21 in 1973. A public campaign for Clemente’s number to be permanently retired throughout the MLB — like Robinson’s No. 42 was in 1997 — continues to gain supporters.
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred downplayed the possibility of a league-wide number retirement in 2016, pointing instead to the existence of the annual Roberto Clemente Award, which recognizes a player’s contributions to his sport and community.
Clemente’s legacy “transcends generations,” Vallines says.
“He’s just a legend,” she told Viva. “No matter how you analyze it, no matter how you see his career and the person that he was, there’s just no way for you not to admire him, and not to want to grab whatever great attributes he had and make them your own.”