#52 Roberto 'Bob' Clemente

When your nickname is 'The Great One' there isn't much a humble blogger can add. Here is a list of Roberto Clemente's 'Notable Achievements' from his Baseball Reference Bullpen page (which is the grandest one I've come across to date):

•     12-time NL All-Star (1960-1967 & 1969-1972)
•     NL MVP (1966)
•     1971 World Series MVP
•     12-time NL Gold Glove Winner (1961-1972)
•     4-time NL Batting Average Leader (1961, 1964, 1965 & 1967)
•     2-time NL Hits Leader (1964 & 1967)
•     NL Triples Leader (1969)
•     20-Home Run Seasons: 3 (1961, 1966 & 1967)
•     100 RBI Seasons: 2 (1966 & 1967)
•     100 Runs Scored Seasons: 3 (1961, 1966 & 1967)
•     200 Hits Seasons: 4 (1961, 1964, 1966 & 1967)
•     Won two World Series with the Pittsburgh Pirates (1960 & 1971)
•     Baseball Hall of Fame: Class of 1973

That page also had this quote which comes from one of the many bios written about Clemente. I think it says a lot about him....

 "When I was a boy, I realized what lovely people my mother and father were. I was treated real good. I learned the right way to live. I never heard any hate in my house. Not for anybody. I never heard my mother say a bad word to my father, or my father to my mother."  "During the war, when food was hard to get, my parents fed their children first and they ate what was left. They always thought of us.”  “My mother have to really work. My mother used to get up at one o’clock in the morning. She had to work and make lunches for these people that used to work in the sugar cane plantations. Now, my mother never went to a show. My mother, she didn’t know how to dance." "But even the way we used to live, we were happy. We would sit down to eat and make jokes and talk and eat whatever there was. That was something wonderful... to grow up with people who had to struggle to eat.”

#341 Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pirates finished second in the NL in 1958. Danny Murtaugh was in his first full season as manager having taken over from Bobby Bragan late in the '57 season. Frank Thomas led the team with 35 homers and 109 RBI which was second best in the league in both categories. Bob Skinner's .321 batting average was tops on the team.

Bob Friend anchored the rotation. He had a 22-14 season. Elroy Face had 20 saves as the closer in a time when saves were less common. To put it in perspective only one other National Leaguer, the Dodger's Clem Labine (14 saves) had more than 11.

Roberto Clemente was 23 years old and just coming into his own. He hit .289 and that was the last time he hit under .290 in his career. He's in the team photo on this card, second from the right in the front row.

The Pirates lined up for their team photo (probably late in 1957) in front of the ivy covered outfield wall of Forbes Field. I tend to forget that Wrigley was  not the only park in the majors with that feature.

The checklist on the back is only marked a couple of times. This is one of the last cards I acquired for this set. I had scratched it off my wantlist by mistake and it wasn't until I was putting the binder together that I figured that out.

I had family living in West Mifflin in western PA in the 60's but I never got to visit them or go with them to Forbes Field. I sure wish I had seen it in person.