On March 20, 1955, Roberto Clemente first stepped onto Tinker Field and helped the Pittsburgh Pirates rally from a 2-1 eighth-inning deficit against the Washington Senators by driving in the tying run with a double before Pittsburgh won 4-2 in the thirteenth inning. Between 1955 and 1964, he played there several times during Spring Training with the Pirates. Clemente later led Pittsburgh to World Series titles in 1960 and 1971, won the National League MVP in 1966 and the World Series MVP in 1971, captured four National League batting titles, earned twelve consecutive Gold Gloves, was a twelve-time All-Star, and collected his 3,000th hit in his last at bat of the 1972 season. Born in Carolina, Puerto Rico, in 1934, he was an unwavering humanitarian and champion for social justice who challenged racial prejudice, broke racial barriers, and cared for those in need. With dignity and grace, he became Major League Baseball's first Latino superstar. On December 31, 1972, while delivering humanitarian aid to earthquake victims in Nicaragua, he boarded a plane that was lost at sea immediately after takeoff, and his body was never recovered. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973, and the Pirates retired his #21 that same year.
