Roberto Clemente was born on August 18, 1934, in Carolina. He was a Hispanic baseball player that encouraged other Hispanics to do what he did. He also helped many people across the United States and Central America. He held a free baseball clinic in Puerto Rico for kids. Roberto Clemente is my role model.

Roberto’s parents are Melchor Clemente (his dad) and Luisa Walker (his mom). He was the youngest of 7 siblings. When Roberto was a child, his father was a foreman for sugar cane crops which was located in the northern eastern part of Puerto Rico. When Roberto was 18 he played professional baseball in Puerto Rico in 1952. In 1954 he was signed a contract with the Brooklyn Dodgers, he was given a $10,000 bonus-very high by the standards of the time, but he got sent to play in the minor league.

As a team they played 154 games, but Roberto only made 84 appearances. He suffered no major injuries playing in the minor league. He joined the major league the next season and he played for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1955-1972. He played 102 games for the Pirates, he hit over 3,000 balls, and he had 240 home runs. (Gary Livarci, A unique record for Roberto Clemente). Roberto is in the MLB hall of fame, he was given 11 golden glove awards, and he also won a world series in 1971. 

On December 31, 1972, Roberto boarded a plane from Puerto Rico to Nicaragua to help people in need. His plane crashed and killed him, nobody ever found his body. He deserves to be a role model because he motivated people to be like him. To be good at baseball and help people. He was one of the best baseball players ever, he is the 37th all time baseball player. He passed away because he wanted to help people. This is why Roberto Clemente is my role model.