Everybody who takes the field in Tuesday night’s MLB games will have a No. 21 patch on their jersey.
That’s because Sept. 15 is Roberto Clemente Day, a day of remembrance for Pittsburgh Pirates legend and Baseball Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente and his charitable contributions, a legacy that lives on through the Roberto Clemente Foundation.
As for the right fielder’s on-field success, Clemente, who wore No. 21, was a force to be reckoned with. Here’s his MLB career (1955-72) by the numbers:
1A: Clemente is first in Pirates history with 3,000 hits, 4,492 total bases and 2,154 singles.
1B: On that note, he’s one of 33 players to hit the 3,000-hit mark.
2A: Clemente was part of the Pirates’ 1960 and 1971 World Series triumphs.
2B: Clemente led the National League in hits twice: in 1964 and 1967.
2C: His career 95 wins above replacement are second in Pirates history and 37th in MLB altogether.
3: Clemente is third in Pirates history with 1,416 runs scored, 1,305 RBIs, 440 doubles and 166 triples.
4: He led the NL in batting average in four seasons: 1961, 1964, 1965 and 1967.
8.2: Clemente led NL position players with 8.2 wins above replacement in 1968.
10: Clemente logged a double-digit number of triples in 10 seasons, including leading the NL with 12 triples in 1969.
12: The number of Gold Gloves he won.
15: The number of All-Star nods he received.
18: Each of Clemente’s 18 seasons in the sport were spent with the Pirates.
200: He logged 200-plus hits in four seasons: 1961, 1964, 1966 and 1967.
240: The number of home runs Clemente hit.
300: Clemente finished with a .300 or higher batting average in 13 of his 18 seasons in the sport.
317: Clemente was a career .317 regular-season hitter, tied with Joe Harris for 66th in MLB history.
318: He was a career .318 postseason hitter in 113 plate appearances.
1966: Clemente won the 1966 NL MVP Award.
1971: Clemente was the 1971 World Series MVP, totaling 12 hits, two home runs and four RBIs while posting a .414/.452/.759 slash line in the seven-game series against the Baltimore Orioles.
1973: MLB renamed the “Commissioner’s Award” the “Roberto Clemente Award” in 1973, which is an award “given annually to a player who demonstrates the values Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente displayed in his commitment to community and understanding the value of helping others.” Each of MLB’s 30 teams have a nominee for the award, with the league office naming one recipient of the honor during the World Series of that particular year.
2,305: Clemente is first in MLB history with 2,305 appearances in right field.
2,433: Clemente and Honus Wagner are tied for first in Pirates history with 2,433 games played.
