This Day in Baseball History: April 6th, 1973

Originally, the plaque said, "Roberto Walker Clemente", but it was changed to reflect his hispanic heritage.

On April 6, 1973:

The Pittsburgh Pirates retire Robert Clemente's number 21.


Roberto Clemente was everything to the Pirates organization -- an MVP (1966), a 3,000 hit man, a 12-time Gold Glove Award winner, and a 12-time All-Star. Clemente made his debut in 1955, and he, like many others, confronted the racial issues of the day. He overcame this by saying that he didn't believe in color as his parents had never taught him to look at people that way. Five years later, he helped the Pirates win a World Series over the vaunted Yankees, and he helped them add another World Series in 1971. By 1972, he was beginning to wear down and was no longer the same player, and in his final at-bat in 1972, he collected his 3,000th hit, a double.

Though he might have continued playing, Clemente would not make it back to the majors. Besides being one of the best all-around players in history, he was a humanitarian. Born in Puerto Rico, Clemente never forgot his Latin American roots, and he was constantly aiding Latin American countries. During the off-seasons, he would continue to play Winter Ball even though he didn't need to anymore, but he knew how important it was for people who admired him so much to see him play. After an earthquake devastated Managua, Nicaragua, Clemente stuffed three planes full of food and materials for the embattled country. Unfortunately, he learned that his flights were redirected, and the aid was not getting to the right people. Believing his presence would change this, he accompanied the fourth flight.

On December 31, 1972, the plane crashed just off the shore of Isla Verde, Puerto Rico. The pilot and co-pilot were found, but Clemente's body has not been recovered. Instead of going to the funeral, teammate Manny Sanguillen dove into the waters looking for Clemente's body. The BBWAA held a special election later in the year, waiving the waiting period, to elect Clemente. On April 6th, the team retired his number. Eleven years later, on what would have been his 50th birthday, the US issued a special postage stamp with his image.