Roberto Clemente 1972 Timeline

This is the 1972 installment in a chronology of memorable moments in the professional career of Roberto Clemente.

__ May 01 __ RC Shows Signs of Life

with

Game-Tying Two-Out, Two-Run HR

Clemente does his utmost to break Bucs’ 5-game losing streak but can’t quite counteract extreme generosity of Messrs. Blass and Giusti.

"Clemente, who was batting .255 and had no runs batted in after 13 games, hit his first homer of the season, capping a four-run Pittsburgh sixth inning to tie the game at 7-7... The Pirates cut the Astros' margin to one run in their half of the ninth on a double by Clemente and a single by Al Oliver.”

__ May 09 __ Career Triple No. 160 Puts Pitt Ahead to Stay

"Cash led off the Pirates’ first inning with a single and raced home an out later when Roberto Clemente hit his 160th career triple.”

__ May 13 __ Career Triple No. 161 Highlights 9th-Inning Rally

"Roberto Clemente’s two-run triple and a run-scoring single by Al Oliver highlighted a five-run 12th inning... [After the Bucs had scored an unearned run to take the lead], Oliver singled to score Clines with Cash stopping at third. Clemente then tripled off the left-centerfield wall and Manny Sanguillen singled to drive in Clemente.”

__ May 15 __ 'RC Beats BG' Reunion:* Three-Run Shot Beats Gibby

* See July 13, 1969 and July 18, 1969. Lest we get carried away, bear in mind that 'BG' beat RC plenty of times and, in fact, had by far the best of their near decade-long encounter – see Gibson's pitcher-batter matchups.

"Clemente’s decisive homer – his second of the season – broke a 1-1 tie in the seventh inning." “Dave Cash led off the inning with a single and Vic Davalillo, attempting a sacrifice, was safe on third-baseman Joe Torre’s throwing error. Clemente followed with his home run, a blast over the right-field fence.”

Losing pitcher Bob Gibson just shakes his head:

“The pitch I threw to Clemente on the home run was a fastball. I didn't think it was gone – but it sure as hell was.”

__ Jun 11 __ Robby's Revenge: Dodger Doc Dispenses Same Old Meds

RC's two-out, two-strike, tie-breaking two-run blow makes it 6-4 in 7th. Two-out 9th-inning single provides insurance for 7-5 final.

"Clemente homered into the left-field pavilion.” “It was a line drive beyond the 370 sign.” “Roberto slammed a Pete Mikkelsen (1-2) serve 400 feet on a line.”

__ Jun 19 __ Robby's Revenge: Career RBI No. 1,275 Moves RC Past PT

With a double, HR and 3 RBI, Roberto Clemente passes HOF third baseman Pie Traynor on the Pittsburgh Pirates' all-time RBI list, bringing his career total thus far to 1,275, still 200 shy of all-time leader Honus Wagner. It seems fitting that Roberto reach this milestone against the guys – i.e. the Dodgers – who gave him up for 'adoption' back on November 22, 1954, even if the specific guys – i.e. Don Sutton and Mike Strahler – against whom he does this days' damage were, respectively, 9 and 7 years old back when the Dodgers deposited him on Pittsburgh's doorstep. Clemente's 5th-inning RBI double off Sutton ties Traynor's mark and puts Pittsburgh up by 2, en route to a 13 - 3 rout. Sutton subsequently departs in favor of Hoyt Wilhelm, who in turn will pass the baton to Strahler. The latter rapidly assumes the mantle of 'historical footnote' as RC passes PT with an 8th-inning, two-run laser into Three Rivers' left field seats and, at 11 - 2, the rout is all but complete. Following his home run, Clemente declines to doff his cap out of respect to the recently deceased Traynor [see March 16, 1972]. While Clemente's pursuit of Wagner's RBI mark will be cut short by his tragic death on New Year's Eve, Roberto's teammate and protégé, Willie Stargell, will ultimately eclipse both Clemente's final total of 1,305 and Wagner's long-standing mark of 1,475, the former on May 15, 1978, the latter on September 30, 1979. The latter date falls, appropriately enough, on the anniversary of Clemente's own final milestone, his entry into the 3,000-hit club.

__ Jun 23 __ Windy City's Fickle Finger Helps Fergie, Then Robby

"The three-run fourth, in which Clemente’s big hit knocked across two runs, came up like a shock. Jenkins had opened with three perfect innings, and it looked as though this would turn into one of those sterling mound duels... The wind was blowing in about 15 miles per hour into the faces of the hitters, but despite this handicap, the drive here by Clemente had the look of a home run when it started. [Center fielder Rick] Monday, breaking back toward the vines, suddenly had to reverse his course and the ball fell in front of him for three bases. Before the inning was over, Clemente also scored, coming in on a single to right by Al Oliver. There was more for the Pirates, however, and if they had needed a big inning while scoring once more in the eighth, they might have been sizzling at umpire Augie Donatelli. Clemente opened the eighth with a sinking drive to short center, and Monday made a graceful swipe at the ball, trapping it so neatly that Donatelli thought he had made a fine catch. Monday, an honest sort, admitted he didn’t catch the ball. 'If you saw the replay, you probably saw what happened,' he smiled.”

__ July 01 __ Robby's All-Fields Four-Baggin' Foils Fergie Again

“The Pirate slugger hit Fergie’s first pitch [of the 7th-inning] over the left field fence, and suddenly the game was tied. [After falling behind, 3-2], the Bucs came from behind to beat him 4-3 on Clemente’s second homer, a game-ending blast with none out in a sudden-death ninth.” “With a man on base, Clemente drilled a pitch from the right-hander over the right-field wall to end the game.”

__ July 23 __ Rail-Thin Robby Still Roughing Up Reds

“Despite a bout with intestinal virus that has left him so thin his own uniform doesn’t fit, Roberto Clemente is still the man who makes the difference for the Pirates... Clemente drove in the initial Pirate run with a third-inning sacrifice fly.” “Clines doubled to left, took third on Mazeroski’s fly to right and scored when Clemente flied deep to right.” "In the eighth, he tied the score [again, this time] with a single, and scored the winning run on Willie Stargell’s double.”

_ Sep 02 __ Passes Wagner As All-Time Pitt Hit Leader

Then Powers Pitt Past SF

"Clemente’s double, a vicious shot to left, was his 2,971st career hit and broke the club record established in the far past by the immortal Honus Wagner. The home run (No. 9) in the fourth was an express train line drive to left center with two aboard that jumped the Bucs to a four-run lead.” “Clemente lined a McDowell pitch some 400 feet good for three runs.”

_ Sep 13 __ Final Regular-Season HR – No. 240, Off Fergie

Fittingly, Hit Off His Old Friend and Frequent Victim

“A leadoff single in the seventh set the stage for another Pirate lead as two outs later, Roberto Clemente sent a homer out of the park across the centerfield bleachers.” "'Clemente just hit everything I had,' admitted Jenkins. He surrendered a single, triple, and ultimately a two-run homer in the seventh inning to Clemente which dissolved a tie and gave the streaking Pirates a 6-4 victory over the Cubs. 'He hit a slider for a single, a fastball for a triple and another slider for the home run. He's something,' Jenkins marveled.”

_ Sep 14 __ BP Blast Again Endangers Wrigley Scoreboard

This Ghost of Moonshots Past conjures up memories of May 17, 1959 and May 31, 1964, among others:

"Not paying any respect to a god, Hebner shouted taunting encouragement to Clemente, 'Come on, take one more swing.' Clemente motioned to the pitcher, wiping the side of his hand across the letters of his uniform. McKee put it right there, right on the outside corner, and Clemente swung once more. The ball nearly tipped the button of McKee’s cap, then once past second began to rise on a straight line. It was still rising when it struck the bleachers just below the scoreboard, 500 feet away. The people around the cage surveyed the landing site for a few seconds, then closed their mouths and looked back into the cage. It was empty, as Clemente walked back to the dugout, rolling his head about to relieve a crick in his neck."

_ Sep 30 __ Final Regular Season Hit – No. 3,000

Jon Matlack recalls:

"It’s early in the game. I had thrown five consecutive fastballs. He fouled a couple off. So I’ve got him two-and-two and I’m thinking, ‘If you drop the curve ball over the outside corner, you got him.’ When I throw the pitch, I’m instantly disappointed because I know it’s not a strike, that it’s gonna be outside. So I’m thinking, ‘Oh no, now it’s three-and-two.’ That’s the instantaneous thought process because I knew this was a ball. I think initially it may have fooled him because he took his normal stride, but his hands stayed back. He was great at that. He must have recognized the spin and thought, ‘Hey, I can do something with this,’ and proceeded to one-hop the left-center-field wall with a pitch that wasn’t even a strike. An interesting piece of hitting."

It's fitting [if somewhat bittersweet] to find RC's old friend, W. Howard Mays, now reduced to part-time duty with the Mets, on hand to witness his protégé attain what would prove his final regular season milestone.

_ Oct 10 __ Clemente's Final Major League Home Run

After breaking up Grimsley's no-hitter in the 4th inning, RC breaks up his shutout in the 7th.

"Grimsley didn’t walk a batter and blanked the hardest-hitting club in baseball until the seventh when Clemente led off with a homer over the right-field wall."

RC accomplishes this task tomahawk style, as Grimsley will note following the game:

"It was a fastball. It got about six inches of the plate. It was high, about eight inches over his head and I just couldn’t see how he could possibly hit that ball, let alone hit it out of the park. That guy is absolutely incredible."

_ Dec 27 __ Clemente's Final Home Run... Period

"Clemente's last home run was one he hit for 300 admiring kids during a baseball clinic at the town of Aguadilla. It was during that clinic that Clemente, giving a batting demonstration, hit the fifth pitch about 350 feet out of left field at the local park."

RC's young teammate Fernando Gonzalez was there:

“That day in Aguadilla, he spent the whole afternoon under the sun – giving a clinic for the kids. People kept coming up to give him money for Nicaragua, and he insisted that they write out checks so that there'd be no chance of the money being mishandled. At one point he was giving batting pointers, and there was a kid – about eighteen years old – pitching to him. The people in the stands kept yelling, ‘Roberto, bet you can’t hit a homer!’ Finally, on the last pitch, he smacked the ball right out of the stadium. He gave the kid the bat as a souvenir, and somebody else got the ball. Afterward, they erected a small monument to mark the spot where the ball fell. I think that was the last time Roberto swung a bat, and he hit a home run.”