Monday marks a special anniversary in the history of Major League Baseball.
On March 20, 1973, Pittsburgh Pirates legend Roberto Clemente was elected to the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.
The slugger had played 18 seasons in the game, all of which were with the Pirates.
During his career, he earned 15 All-Star selections, an MVP Award, four batting titles, 12 Gold Gloves, two World Series titles, and a World Series MVP Award.
He hit for a career .317 batting average, hit a total of 240 home runs, collected exactly 3,000 hits, and posted a WAR of 94.8.
On Twitter, MLB Vault recalled the day that Clemente was elected to the Hall of Fame.
OTD in 1973, Roberto Clemente was elected to the @baseballhall. pic.twitter.com/zPXeKcpUKk
— MLB Vault (@MLBVault) March 20, 2023
Typically, a player has to wait at least five years after retirement before they can be enshrined in Cooperstown.
However, unique and tragic circumstances resulted in a change.
On December 31, 1972, Clemente tragically passed away in a plane crash when delivering supplies to Nicaragua.
The plane crashed in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Clemente was just 38 years old and was still an active player at the time.
But the star right fielder was more than just one of the best players in all of baseball.
He was a humanitarian as well.
His charitable efforts ultimately resulted in the creation of the Roberto Clemente Award.
Players such as Justin Turner, Carlos Beltran, Adam Wainwright, Yadier Molina, Albert Pujols, and David Ortiz have earned the award.
Clemente’s legendary status as a player and his humanitarian efforts have not been forgotten, as they remain an important part of who Clemente was as a person during his life.
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