"One of my favorite memories of Roberto is that year when Santurce, with Clemente and Mays, went to Caracas, Venezuela, to play in the Caribbean Series – representing Puerto Rico against Cuba, Panama, and the host country. There were many major leaguers on the rosters. In the deciding game, Clemente was on first in the final inning and Mays hits one to right, where the outfielder bobbled the ball for just a second. Clemente took off like a shot the moment that Mays connected and flew around third, although the coach tried to stop him. Gus Triandos was the catcher for the other team. The ball arrived at the same time as Clemente slid, spikes in the air, and we won the game. That exhibition of Clemente’s great speed and spirit was one of the most emotional moments in my life. He made many fine plays in the United States, but to win a game for Puerto Rico for our club in the Caribbean Series was a great moment. In fact, not long ago in Pittsburgh someone asked Clemente if he had ever played on a team with the slugging power of the 1971 Pirates. He said yes – the Santurce Crabbers, when they won the Caribbean Series!"
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Baptists from the United StatesPresidential Medal of Freedom recipientsUnited States MarinesPeople from San Juan
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
Pedrín Zorilla (longtime owner of the Santurce Crabbers, who signed Clemente to his first professional contract in 1952) in Clemente! (1973) by Kal Wagenheim, pp. 46-47
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Roberto_Clemente
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
Roberto Clemente
baseball player
1934 – 1972 · United States
Roberto Enrique Clemente Walker (August 18, 1934 – December 31, 1972) was a Puerto Rican Major League baseball player from 1955 through 1972, exclusively with the Pittsburgh Pirates. A posthumous inductee to the National Baseball Hall of Fame (following his fatal plane crash on December 31, 1972, en route to deliver aid to earthquake victims in Nicaragua), Clemente became both the first Latin American and the first C
927 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by Roberto Clemente →
Related Quotes
"Clemente was an emotional man, and that was his beauty. It drove him not only to physical anguish, but also to nearly…"
"Both Walkers owe a debt of gratitude to the most revered player in Pirates history. Tom Walker played winter ball in …"
"As we were talking, I was moving my neck around so he asked me what was the matter. I told him that my neck hurt beca…"
"Well, somebody asked me if it was true that I scuffled with Roberto Clemente and he pulled a knife and cut me on the …"
"If I went along with all the praise he gets, I’d be a hypocrite. Because it’s not my true feelings. I didn’t look up …"
"I don't believe if Clemente were still alive that there'd be a statue. It's the way he died. I think, in my mind, Sta…"
"I asked Face if he remembered where he was when he learned that Clemente had died in an airplane crash on New Year's …"
"There wasn’t too much contact with Clemente off the field; just at the ballpark. He was pretty much by himself, a lon…"
"Roberto’s body didn't appear because God wanted us to remember him as he was: that handsome negro, so strong, so beau…"
"Everybody looked rumpled next to Roberto Clemente."