Roberto Clemente is a former MLB player who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates during his professional career. At the peak of his career, he became a 15-time All-Star, a four-time National League batting champion, a two-time World Series champion, and the 1971 World Series MVP.
His success on the field saw him inducted into the Hall of Fame. He became the second player to have the mandatory five-year waiting period waived to get into the Hall of Fame when he was elected on March 20, 1973. This was months after his tragic death.
This made him the first Caribbean and Latin-American MLB player to be inducted into the Hall of Fame after playing 18 seasons in the pros, according to TMZ. He had a career batting average of .317 and amassed 3,000 hits, 240 home runs, 1,305 RBI, and 83 steals during his career.
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Today, the bat used by MLB Hall Of Fame outfielder is about to be auctioned off and could net over $250,000. According to TMZ Sports, the Hillerich & Bradsby signature model U1 bat that Clemente swung during the 1971 season will hit Heritage Auctions in February this year.
What is more, the platform added that the 36-inch, 35.5-ounce relic has been photo-matched and it’s also been autographed by Clemente himself. “To my friend Carey, Best Wishes Always, Roberto Clemente,” the inscription on the bat read. Also, it has the No. 21 written on the knob.
Clemente was born on August 18, 1934, in Carolina, Puerto Rico. He died in a tragic plane crash on December 31, 1972, while doing humanitarian work to help victims of an earthquake in Nicaragua. He was reportedly transporting relief supplies to Nicaragua made him a symbol of solidarity and generosity.
The youngest of seven siblings found his love for baseball playing in the neighborhoods of Carolina, Puerto Rico, until he joined Puerto Rico’s Amateur League as a teenager.
“The Brooklyn Dodgers signed Clemente as an amateur free agent prior to the 1952 season, but the Pittsburgh Pirates selected Clemente in the Rule 5 draft following the 1954 season after the Dodgers tried to hide Clemente on a minor league roster,” according to baseball hall.org.
