Roberto Clemente Statue Unveiled At Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory

11 Aug 2021 by Sandra Escobedo in Celebrities, Fame, General, Home, Pleasure, Sports, Television

 Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory will add another superstar to its roster on August 18 when it unveils a lifelike sculpture of Major League Baseball Hall of Famer and global humanitarian, Roberto Clemente.

The statue unveiling will take place during a 10 a.m. ceremony in the museum gallery. The ceremony will feature guest speakers as well as a special “first hold” of the Roberto Clemente game-used bat that will be added to the museum’s Hold a Piece of History exhibit. The event is free and open to the public and will be livestreamed on sluggermuseum.com and the museum’s Facebook page.

Clemente became a baseball legend during the 1960s and 70s while playing his entire 18-season career for the Pittsburgh Pirates. With lightning speed, an explosive throwing arm and a consistently high batting average, Clemente was known as one of the most complete players of his era.

“We are thrilled to feature the great Roberto Clemente in the museum,” said Deana Lockman, Executive Director of Experiences at Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory. “With his extraordinary character and community involvement, Clemente was a true ambassador for the game whose legacy as a humanitarian has endured over time. We’re proud to include him in our lineup of baseball greats and we know our guests will be delighted,” she said.

Each year Major League Baseball bestows The Roberto Clemente Award to an active player who best represents the game of baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions, both on and off the field.

The new statue features Clemente in a Pirates jersey from the late 1960s complete with iconic vest and banded stirrups and socks. The statue conveys the readiness of Clemente in his batting stance, eyes glued on the pitcher, as he waits for the pitch and gets ready to swing. The statue is complete with lifelike skin and period-specific detail, including his U1 model Louisville Slugger bat.

“It’s a true honor for our father to be recognized in this way by Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory,” said Luis Clemente. “My father would be proud to have such a tribute in this great museum. We are incredibly grateful to all who were involved in the creation of this timeless statue that honors his legacy,” he said on behalf of the Roberto Clemente Foundation.

Clemente was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973, becoming both the first Latin American and Caribbean player to be enshrined. He was also the first Latin American and Caribbean player to help win a World Series as a starting position player (1960), to receive an NL MVP Award (1966), and to receive a World Series MVP Award (1971).

He appeared in 15 All-Star games and was a Gold Glove Award winner for 12 consecutive seasons from 1961 through 1972. His batting average was over .300 for 13 seasons and he amassed exactly 3,000 hits during his major league career. Louisv

ille Slugger Museum & Factory honored Clemente and his remarkable career in 2006 with the addition of his bat to the Walk of Fame on West Main Street.

The Clemente statue unveiling highlights an entire day of museum programming dedicated to the Pirates great, including Clemente Trivia and a Clemente Artifact Presentation. Also, following the ceremony, Clemente’s game-used bat will be permanently added to the museum’s Hold a Piece of History exhibit. This U1 model bat from 1968 is 35 inches long, weighs a remarkable 39 ounces and contains a rather fascinating history.

In a season where Clemente had been previously slumping, this Louisville Slugger bat helped form a remarkable U-turn. From the time he ordered the bat on July 2nd through the rest of the season, Clemente hit a staggering .339 (79 hits in 63 games), with nine home runs, 10 doubles and 5 triples to post a .956 OPS.

While Clemente’s contributions on the diamond left a profound mark, it’s his legacy as a global humanitarian and philanthropist that still lives on today. For millions of people across the world, especially in his native Puerto Rico and throughout Central and South America, Clemente was a cultural hero who provided humanitarian relief and gave underprivileged people a voice.

On the day of the event, employees of Hillerich & Bradsby Co. will also be participating in a food packaging project with the local organization, Love The Hungry. The project will create enough meal packets to feed 7,000 children and will be sent to and distributed in Puerto Rico.

Clemente joins elite company as he is just the sixth person honored with a statue at Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory. Created by LifeFormations out of Cincinnati, the only other player sculptures in the museum are baseball legends Babe Ruth, Jackie Robinson, Ted Williams, Ken Griffey, Jr., and Derek Jeter.

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Sandra Escobedo

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