Pirates Honor Roberto Clemente Debut Anniversary
In this story:
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates honored Roberto Clemente once again, as they celebrated one of his anniversaries in his memorable career.
Clemente made his debut on April 17, 1955, as the Pirates faced off against the Brooklyn Dodgers in a double-header at Forbes Field, 70 years ago to the date.
The Pirates would lose both games, 10-3 in the first one and 3-2 in the second one, but Clemente had a solid start, with one hit in the first contest and two hits in the second contest, making it home for a run in both games.
Roberto Clemente Jr., son of Roberto Clemente, and his family attended a pre-game celebration, as the Pirates honored that anniversary.
The Pirates would have both Roberto Clemente Jr. and his son, Roberto Clemente III, throw out the ceremonial first pitch to both infielder Jared Triolo and outfielder Jack Suwinski.
Roberto Clemente Jr. and Roberto Clemente III threw out today's ceremonial first pitch in memory of Roberto Clemente’s lasting legacy on the anniversary of his debut in 1955 💛 pic.twitter.com/363DgJ2817
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) April 17, 2025
They also honored Clemente, by placing markers for his 3000th hit on Sept. 30, 1972 at where Three Rivers Stadium on the North Shore once stood and the pitcher's mound as well.
Pirates president Travis Williams attended, as did former Pirates pitcher and current color commentator Bob Walk for the ceremony.
Hannah Mears of SportsNet Pittsburgh also reminded fans that Clemente wore number 13 for his debut, before wearing the iconic number 21 jersey, that the Pirates retired. Third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes currently wears the number 13 jersey for the Pirates.
"Another reminder of how lucky I am to be in this game, to be a Pirate, and to be able, in a way, to carry on his name."
— SportsNet Pittsburgh (@SNPittsburgh) April 17, 2025
Ke’Bryan Hayes tells @MearsHannah_ what it means to wear No. 13 for the @Pirates — the same number Roberto Clemente wore during his debut 70 years ago today. pic.twitter.com/qiYVVx1EsM
The Pirates dealt with controversy early in the year, as they replaced a tribute on the right field wall of Clemente in the stylization of Three Rivers Stadium with an advertisement, a Surfside can.
After fans and Roberto Clemente Jr. himself criticized the decision, the Pirates would relent and bring back the tribute, apologizing to the Clemente family.
Roberto Clemente excelled for the Pirates for 18 seasons from 1955-72. He finished with a slash line of .317/.359/.475 and an OPS of .834, while amassing 3,000 hits, 440 doubles, 166 triples, 240 home runs, 1,305 RBIs and 621 walks in 2,433 games.
He would win the National League MVP in 1966, hitting .317/.360/.536 for an OPS of .896, while getting 202 hits, 31 doubles, 11 triples, 29 home runs and 46 walks.
Clemente finished with 15 All-Star nods, won 12 consecutive NL Gold Glove Awards from 1961-72, won the NL Batting Title four times in 1961, 1964. 1965 and 1967.
He also won two World Series with the Pirates in 1960, defeating the New York Yankees in seven games with fellow Pirates Hall of Famer Bill Mazeroski hitting the walk-off home run at Forbes Field, and beating the Baltimore Orioles in seven games in 1971.
Clemente won World Series MVP in 1971, hitting .414 with 12 hits in 29 at-bats and also hit the decisive solo home run in the 2-1 win in Game 7 in Baltimore.
The Puerto Rican was known for his humanitarian work across the Caribbean and Latin America, which cost him his life, as he died in a plane crash on Dec. 31, 1972. He had chartered the plane to bring emergency goods for the people of Nicaragua, who just endured a massive earthquake.
Clemente would earn special induction into the Pro Baseball Hall of Fame, becoming the first Caribbean player to do so and second player from Latin America.
Clemente now has an MLB award in his name, the Roberto Clemente Award, which honors the player that, "best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement and the individual's contribution to his team."
The Pirates have other markers for Clemente, including a statue of him near the first gate coming off the Roberto Clemente Bridge, and the right field wall measuring 21 feet high, in honor of his retired number.
Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.