During the final game of the road trip, Roberto Clemente collected hit No. 2,999, a single against Philadelphia Phillies ace Steve Carlton. With the National League East title already clinched, Pirates manager Bill Virdon removed Clemente from the game, in order to preserve the possibility of his reaching hit No. 3,000 at home. The next night, September 29, the Pirates began their final homestand of the 1972 season. Facing Tom Seaver of the New York Mets, Clemente tapped a bouncer up the middle that caromed off the glove of second baseman Ken Boswell. The message on the scoreboard immediately indicated a hit-No. 3,000. The crowd of 24,193 erupted, some of the fans throwing streamers onto the field. First base coach Don Leppert patted Clemente on the rear as he threw the milestone ball toward the Pirates' dugout. Then, a large "E" flashed on the scoreboard, signaling that the play had been deemed an error. The fans booed loudly. The official scorer had apparently ruled an error on the sure-handed Boswell from the outset, but the scoreboard operator had not heard his ruling properly.
The staffers in the scoreboard operations room found agreement from Clemente himself. "It was a hit all the way," said Clemente, who felt that he would have beaten the throw to first base even if Boswell had managed to handle the grounder cleanly. "But this is nothing new. Official scorers have been robbing me of hits like this for 18 years." On this occasion, Clemente thought that the official scorer was Charley Feeney of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
A few moments later, one of Clemente's best friends in the media shouted out to him. "I made the call," said Luke Quay of the McKeesport Daily News. It was Quay, and not Feeney, who had served as official scorer for the game. Although Clemente was still upset that he had been denied his 3,000th hit, he did not allow the perceived injustice to affect his sense of humor-or his strong friendship with the official scorer. Quay was one of the few writers who consistently defended Clemente against charges of hypochondria, calling them unfair, even mythical. After the game, Clemente delivered the ball to Quay, with a signed inscription. "It was a hit," Clemente wrote on the first line, before continuing the message. "No, it was an error. No, it was superman Luke Quay. To my friend Luke with best wishes-Roberto Clemente."
After two other unproductive at-bats, Clemente sliced a liner toward the right field corner in his final at-bat. Playing Clemente within 10 feet of the line, instead of the way that most outfielders positioned him toward the right-center-field gap, Rusty Staub made the catch with ease. Clemente had been denied once again.
The hitless game, followed by a restless night filled with early morning phone calls, set up a September 30 Saturday afternoon matchup against New York's impressive young rookie left-hander, Jon Matlack. In the first inning, Matlack struck out Clemente, thwarting another bid at No. 3,000. Clemente would probably not receive his next chance until the fourth inning, barring a long rally by the Pirate lineup. The possibility of a milestone hit affected the dynamics of the Pirates' broadcasting crew, which featured Bob Prince and Nellie King. Prince and Clemente had developed a special relationship, which King fully realized. "He used the term 'Great One,' " King says of Prince, who had given Clemente the nickname that showed such respect.
In this Saturday afternoon game against the Mets, Prince did play-by-play for the first three innings, including Clemente's strikeout. King was scheduled to do play-by-play during the game's middle innings. "I was gonna do the fourth inning of the game," recalls King. "[Prince] did the first three and I'd do the middle innings. I did the top of the fourth and then we went off the air and I said, 'Bob, I think Clemente's coming up, I think you'd better do this.' "
Coming to bat for the second time, Clemente led off the bottom of the fourth against Matlack. In the meantime, Luis Mayoral, one of Clemente's friends, announced Clemente's at-bat for Puerto Rican radio. "That was September 30, it was something like 3:07 in the afternoon," recalls Mayoral. "A little bit over 13,000 fans were in the stands. Fourth inning, Jon Matlack was pitching. Yes, I saw that."
Mayoral and Prince would witness and broadcast an important piece of baseball-and Latin American-history. With the count 0-and-1, Matlack threw a curve ball, which Clemente smacked toward the gap in left-center field. The long drive reached the fence on one hop. Center fielder Dave Schneck retrieved the ball and threw it to the infield, as Clemente steamed into second base with a double. Only the 11th major leaguer in history to collect 3,000 hits, Clemente had also become the first Latino ballplayer to reach the milestone.
This time, there would be no reversal from the press box. Unlike the play the previous night, this was a clean, no-questions-asked base hit. Retrieving the ball from shortstop Jim Fregosi, second base umpire Doug Harvey handed the memento over to Clemente and shook his hand. In turn, Clemente gave it to Don Leppert, who stored the ball in his back pocket. Clemente stood atop second base, lifted his helmet with his right hand, and sheepishly raised it to the cheers of the 13,117 fans in attendance at Three Rivers. As the umpires delayed the game, the fans continued their applause for several minutes. Not knowing what to do next, Clemente placed his hands on his hips and rolled his neck, as he often did at the plate. "I feel bashful when I get a big ovation," Clemente later told Milton Richman of United Press International. "I am really shy. I never was a big shot and I never will be a big shot."
When the applause finally died down, play resumed. Clemente eventually came around to score, his hit having ignited a three-run rally. As he ran to his position in right field to start the fifth inning, the fans thanked him with another standing ovation. Clemente removed his cap, tipping it to his loyal fans. Upon returning to the dugout at the end of the half inning, Clemente received special acknowledgement from one of his opponents. Another future Hall of Famer, playing out his final seasons in a backup role with the Mets, walked across the diamond toward the Pirates' dugout. "I clearly remember seeing Willie Mays of the Mets come over from the third base dugout and embrace Roberto after the 3,000th hit," says Mayoral. Even though Mays and Clemente had never felt particularly close to one another, the former Giants' superstar felt it important to congratulate his rival-and onetime Puerto Rican Winter League teammate-in person. The gesture showed Mays' respect for one of his star rivals.
Clemente left the historic game when Bill Virdon sent up Bill Mazeroski as a pinch-hitter. It was a fitting choice, given that Mazeroski had been Clemente's teammate longer than anyone-since Mazeroski's rookie season in 1956. After the game, Clemente paused for a moment to recognize another important person from his baseball past. "I dedicated the hit to the Pittsburgh fans and to the people in Puerto Rico, and to one man in particular," Clemente said, referring to Roberto Marin, his first coach in youth softball, the man who had spotted him playing baseball with guava tree limbs and crushed tin cans in a Puerto Rican sandlot. At a time when Roberto had accomplished one of the game's most significant individual milestones-the exclusive 3,000-hit club-he felt it important to acknowledge the people who had paved the way for his major league stardom. It was typical Clemente.
» Bruce Markusen is the author of ROBERTO CLEMENTE: THE GREAT ONE. He is also the author of A BASEBALL DYNASTY: CHARLIE FINLEY'S SWINGIN' A'S, scheduled for release by St. Johann Press in October.
Also by Bruce Markusen
» 1972: McLain For Cepeda
» Thirty Years Ago: The Birth of the Mustache Gang
» Baseball Lost Many Lives In 2001
» The 1971 Swap Meet
» The 1971 Swap Meet: The Trades That Weren't
» Frank Messer: The Passing of a Yankee Broadcaster
» More submissions
Posted October 4, 2002.
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