Roberto Clemente, baseball player, 240 home runs, 1955-1972

Roberto Clemente

⭐ Hall of Fame 1973

Born: 8/18/1934 in Carolina, P.R.

Died: 12/31/1972 in San Juan, P.R.

MLB Debut: 1955-04-17 | Final Game: 1972-10-03

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 5'11" | Weight: 175 lbs

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Biography

Roberto Clemente was a legendary Puerto Rican outfielder who played his entire Major League Baseball career with the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1955 until his untimely death in 1972. Born in 1934, Clemente established himself as one of the premier players of his era, amassing a remarkable 3,000 hits over the course of 2,433 games. His exceptional batting average of .317, combined with 240 home runs and 1,305 RBIs, underscored his offensive prowess. Known for his powerful arm and remarkable defensive skills, Clemente was a 15-time All-Star and earned the World Series MVP award during his illustrious career. Clemente's influence extended beyond the diamond; he was a trailblazer for Latin American players in Major League Baseball during a time when the sport was primarily dominated by American athletes. He was posthumously inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973, becoming the first Hispanic player to receive such an honor. His legacy as a humanitarian and advocate for social justice further solidified his status as an iconic figure in sports history, making him a cherished symbol of both athletic excellence and cultural pride.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
2433 9454 1416 3000 440 166 240 1305 83 621 1230 0.317 0.359 0.475 0.834 33732.4

Career AVG .317 vs. league average .251 across their career seasons — +26.5% above league average.

Career OBP .359 vs. league average .318 across their career seasons — +13.0% above league average.

Career SLG .475 vs. league average .377 across their career seasons — +26.0% above league average.

Career OPS 0.834 vs. league average 0.695 across their career seasons — +20.0% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1955 PIT NL 124 474 48 121 23 11 5 47 2 18 60 0.255 .258 (-1%) .332 (-15%) .393 (-3%) .726 (-8%) -1021.5
1956 PIT NL 147 543 66 169 30 7 7 60 6 13 58 0.311 .258 (+21%) .331 (avg) .397 (+8%) .728 (+4%) 266.8
1957 PIT NL 111 451 42 114 17 7 4 30 0 23 45 0.253 .257 (-2%) .323 (-11%) .391 (-11%) .715 (-11%) -1040.2
1958 PIT NL 140 519 69 150 24 10 6 50 8 31 41 0.289 .257 (+12%) .324 (+1%) .394 (+4%) .719 (+2%) 108.3
1959 PIT NL 105 432 60 128 17 7 4 50 2 15 51 0.296 .256 (+15%) .323 (-1%) .392 (+1%) .715 (avg) -88.1
1960 PIT NL 144 570 89 179 22 6 16 94 4 39 72 0.314 .255 (+23%) .323 (+10%) .387 (+18%) .711 (+15%) 1575.1
1961 PIT NL 146 572 100 201 30 10 23 89 4 35 59 0.351 .258 (+36%) .328 (+19%) .399 (+40%) .727 (+30%) 3362.5
1962 PIT NL 144 538 95 168 28 9 10 74 6 35 73 0.312 .257 (+21%) .326 (+8%) .393 (+15%) .719 (+12%) 1127.3
1963 PIT NL 152 600 77 192 23 8 17 76 12 31 64 0.320 .246 (+30%) .308 (+15%) .371 (+26%) .680 (+21%) 2330.1
1964 PIT NL 155 622 95 211 40 7 12 87 5 51 87 0.339 .250 (+35%) .312 (+24%) .377 (+28%) .690 (+26%) 3193.9
1965 PIT NL 152 589 91 194 21 14 10 65 8 43 78 0.329 .245 (+34%) .310 (+22%) .371 (+25%) .682 (+23%) 2612.9
1966 PIT NL 154 638 105 202 31 11 29 119 7 46 109 0.317 .248 (+27%) .309 (+16%) .376 (+42%) .685 (+31%) 3563.3
1967 PIT NL 147 585 103 209 26 10 23 110 9 41 103 0.357 .242 (+47%) .306 (+31%) .357 (+55%) .663 (+44%) 4640.8
1968 PIT NL 132 502 74 146 18 12 18 57 2 51 77 0.291 .236 (+23%) .298 (+19%) .340 (+42%) .638 (+31%) 2675.8
1969 PIT NL 138 507 87 175 20 12 19 91 4 56 73 0.345 .248 (+39%) .320 (+28%) .369 (+47%) .689 (+39%) 3723.3
1970 PIT NL 108 412 65 145 22 10 14 60 3 38 66 0.352 .253 (+39%) .325 (+25%) .385 (+44%) .711 (+35%) 2680.8
1971 PIT NL 132 522 82 178 29 8 13 86 1 26 65 0.341 .249 (+37%) .316 (+17%) .365 (+37%) .682 (+28%) 2475.8
1972 PIT NL 102 378 68 118 19 7 10 60 0 29 49 0.312 .243 (+28%) .310 (+15%) .353 (+35%) .664 (+26%) 1545.5

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
26 107 8 34 3 1 3 14 6 21 0.318

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1972 NLCS PIT 5 17 1 4 1 0 1 2 3 5 0.235
1971 NLCS PIT 4 18 2 6 0 0 0 4 1 6 0.333
1971 WS PIT 7 29 3 12 2 1 2 4 2 2 0.414
1970 NLCS PIT 3 14 1 3 0 0 0 1 0 4 0.214
1960 WS PIT 7 29 1 9 0 0 0 3 0 4 0.310

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
2B 2 0 1 1 1 0
3B 1 0 0 2 1 0
OF 2370 2300 4696 266 140 42

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1955 PIT OF 118 107 253 18 6 5
1956 PIT 2B 2 0 1 1 1 0
1956 PIT 3B 1 0 0 2 1 0
1956 PIT OF 139 130 274 17 13 2
1957 PIT OF 109 107 272 9 6 1
1958 PIT OF 135 129 312 22 6 3
1959 PIT OF 104 102 229 10 13 1
1960 PIT OF 142 140 246 19 8 2
1961 PIT OF 144 142 256 27 9 5
1962 PIT OF 142 138 269 19 8 1
1963 PIT OF 151 148 239 11 11 2
1964 PIT OF 154 154 289 13 10 2
1965 PIT OF 145 143 288 16 10 1
1966 PIT OF 154 153 318 17 12 3
1967 PIT OF 145 141 273 17 9 4
1968 PIT OF 131 128 297 9 5 1
1969 PIT OF 135 128 226 14 5 1
1970 PIT OF 104 102 189 12 7 2
1971 PIT OF 124 120 267 11 2 4
1972 PIT OF 94 88 199 5 0 2

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Second Base 2
Third Base 1
Left Field 24
Center Field 63
Right Field 2305

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1972 Gold Glove OF
1972 TSN All-Star OF
1971 Babe Ruth Award OF
1971 Gold Glove OF
1971 World Series MVP
1970 Gold Glove OF
1969 Gold Glove OF
1968 Gold Glove OF
1967 Gold Glove OF
1967 TSN All-Star OF
1966 Gold Glove OF
1966 Most Valuable Player
1966 TSN All-Star OF
1966 TSN Player of the Year
1965 Gold Glove OF
1964 Gold Glove OF
1964 TSN All-Star OF
1963 Gold Glove OF
1962 Gold Glove OF
1961 Gold Glove OF
1961 TSN All-Star OF

Featured In Rankings

#16
Top 30 Outfielders in History of MLB Baseball
Ranked 16 of 30
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Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1972 Most Valuable Player NL 13th 16.0 336 0
1971 Most Valuable Player NL 5th 87.0 336 0
1970 Most Valuable Player NL 12th 33.0 336 0
1969 Most Valuable Player NL 8th 51.0 336 0
1967 Most Valuable Player NL 3rd 129.0 280 0
1966 Most Valuable Player NL 1st 218.0 280 8
1965 Most Valuable Player NL 8th 56.0 280 0
1964 Most Valuable Player NL 9th 56.0 280 0
1963 Most Valuable Player NL 14th 12.0 280 0
1962 Most Valuable Player NL 17th 6.0 280 0
1961 Most Valuable Player NL 4th 81.0 224 0
1960 Most Valuable Player NL 8th 62.0 336 1