This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 12/8/2018
Roberto Clemente's greatness transcended the diamond. On it, he was electrifying with his penchant for bad-ball hitting, his strong throwing arm from right field, and the way he played with a reckless but controlled abandon. Off it, he was a role model to the people of his homeland Puerto Rico and elsewhere. Helping others represented the way Clemente lived. It would also represent the way he died. Just three months after becoming one of only 27 Major Leaguers to join the vaunted 3,000 hit club at the end of the 1972 season, the beloved Pirate right fielder would tragically lose his life in a plane crash while attempting to deliver aid to Nicaraguan earthquake victims. His number 21 was retired by the Pirates after his death. Clemente’s baseball legacy includes a lifetime .317 average and 12 Gold Gloves tying him with Willie Mays for the most ever by an outfielder. Clemente earned National League MVP honors in 1966, but achieved his greatest fame in the 1971 World Series, in which he batted .414 in leading the Pirates to victory.
The offered Clemente home jersey dates to that prolific season. On the inside back tail is the "Rawlings" (size 42) manufacturers tag and adjacent wash instructions tag. Across the front is "Pirates." Below on the left and on back is the player number "21." All lettering and numbering is done in black on gold tackle twill. Game wear is characterized as "moderate to heavy," evident most notably in the fabric separation that causes a two-point MEARS deduction, and a half-point for soiling and foxing from play and storage. LOA from MEARS (A7.5).