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Baseball Legend Roberto Clemente Kidnapped At Gunpoint And Forced To Get Naked Before Game
The MLB Hall-of-Famer endured a bizarre attempted robbery before a game that he was able to foil once the criminals realized who he was
Roberto Clemente was one of the finest players to ever play baseball. A legendary humanitarian and skilled all-around outfielder, he was an easy choice for the Hall of Fame. He is best remembered for his graceful play, but he wasn’t immune from the bizarre. This includes a time late in his career when he was kidnapped at gunpoint prior to a game in San Diego against the Padres, when he was out buying a chicken dinner. He was then taken to a remote area and forced to strip until it clicked to his captors who he was, and he was released unharmed.
A native of Puerto Rico, the right-handed Clemente overcame bleak socioeconomic conditions growing up to become a skilled athlete in many sports, including baseball. As a teenager, he garnered the attention of the Brooklyn Dodgers, initially signing with the franchise. However, after one season of moderate success playing for one of their minor league teams, where the teenager faced discrimination, a language barrier and his tender age, he was left available in the Rule 5 Draft.
The lack of patience of the Dodgers became a once in a millenium opportunity for the Pittsburgh Pirates. They snapped up Clemente and installed him as their starting right fielder for the following season — 1955. The rest, as they say, is history.
During an 18-year big league career (1955–1972) all spent with Pittsburgh, Clemente batted a combined .317 with 3,000 hits, 240 home runs and 1,305 RBIs. He possessed what may still be the strongest outfield arm in the history of the game and was considered a superior all-round defensive player. In addition to four batting titles, he also won an MVP (1966) and 12 Gold Gloves, along with making 15 All Star teams.
Tragically, the legend died at the age of 38 on December 31, 1972 when a plane he had commissioned to fly emergency supplies to victims of an earthquake in Nicaragua crashed at sea. Due to the sudden circumstances of his passing, the customary five-year waiting period for the Hall of…
