Oxford Languages defines a hero as a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. Pittsburgh Pirates icon Roberto Clemente was a hero and lives on in the words and actions of Pittsburgh natives and Latin Americans over 50 years later.
December 31, 2024, marks the 52nd anniversary of Clemente’s death, dying in a plane crash while delivering relief supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua. Baseball in Pittsburgh lives on, but has never been the same.
Major League Baseball immediately waived the five-year waiting period and inducted Clemente into Cooperstown at the Hall of Fame.