Classic SI Photos of Roberto Clemente

A 12-time All-Star, Roberto Clemente also won 12 Gold Gloves, two World Series titles, four batting titles and the 1966 NL MVP award. The Puerto Rican star's abilities as a player — his sensational throwing, his acrobatic fielding, his relentless hitting (.317 lifetime average) — overpowered the prejudice against Latin American players. On Dec. 31, 1972, he insisted on flying to Nicaragua to deliver supplies to victims of an earthquake, but his plane crashed and he died at just 38. A few months after his death, Clemente, whose 3,000th hit on Sept. 30, 1972, turned out to be his last, was elected to the Hall of Fame. We present these classic SI photos of Pittsburgh's legendary rightfielder, who was born on Aug. 18, 1934.