{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2025}} {{short description|Puerto Rican baseball player}}thumb|Roberto Clemente Jr.
'''Roberto Clemente Zabala''' (born August 17, 1965), better known as '''Roberto Clemente Jr.''',<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://robertoclementefoundation.com/roberto-clemente-bio/|title=Roberto Clemente's Story|website=Roberto Clemente Foundation|language=en-US|access-date=December 29, 2019}}</ref> is a Puerto Rican baseball broadcaster and former professional baseball player.
His father and namesake Roberto Clemente was the first Latin American player to compile 3,000 hits in Major League Baseball history. His mother Vera Clemente hosted a telethon in Puerto Rico in order to raise funds for the ''Ciudad Roberto Clemente'', a sporting complex located in Carolina, Puerto Rico.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wsbtv.com/news/trending-now/vera-clemente-widow-of-hall-of-famer-roberto-clemente-in-delicate-health-/1004338689/|title=Vera Clemente, widow of Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente in 'delicate health'|last=WPXI.com|website=WSBTV|date=November 2, 2019 |language=en-US|access-date=December 29, 2019}}</ref>
==Biography== thumb|right Despite playing for the Pittsburgh Pirates and being established in Pittsburgh for many years,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2018/04/09/roberto-clemente-jr-ptsd-brain-health/|title=Clemente Jr. Still Dealing With Trauma Connected To Father's Death|date=April 9, 2018|language=en-US|access-date=December 29, 2019}}</ref> Roberto Clemente insisted his wife Vera return to Puerto Rico so Roberto Jr. could be born there a day before his own birthday. The first seven years of Clemente's life were spent between Puerto Rico and Pittsburgh.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/pirates/2019/11/16/Vera-Clemente-Roberto-s-widow-dies/stories/201911160063|title='Grace, dignity and strength': Pittsburghers mourn death of Vera Clemente, widow of Pirates legend|website=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette|language=en|access-date=December 29, 2019}}</ref> His father died in a plane crash on December 31, 1972, while taking relief supplies to Nicaragua earthquake victims.<ref>{{cite news|last=Bernstein|first=Ralph|title=Clemente wants to make own name|work=Gettysburg Times|agency=Associated Press|date=March 15, 1984|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=m9U_AAAAIBAJ&sjid=VegFAAAAIBAJ&pg=3945,4762281|accessdate=August 12, 2010}}</ref> After his father’s death, Roberto Jr. became the spokesperson for the family when his mother Vera was not available.{{citation needed|date=January 2023}}
In 1978, he was chosen to carry the torch and light the Pavilion for the Pan Am Games.{{citation needed|date=December 2019}} Clemente excelled in sports at the junior high and high school levels. He was captain of the volleyball team and participated in track and field and basketball, and was offered a spot on a professional basketball team.{{citation needed|date=January 2023}} After high school, Clemente moved to Bradenton, Florida to attend a community college.
In 1984, he was spotted by a Philadelphia Phillies scout, and signed by the organization,<ref name="rises">{{cite news|last=Coffey|first=Wayne|title=The Son Also Rises. Roberto Clemente Jr. talks about his trainer, new WFAN show & life without his father|work=New York Daily News|date=April 10, 2005|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/sports/2005/04/10/2005-04-10_the_son_also_rises__roberto_.html|accessdate=August 12, 2010}}{{dead link|date=January 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> joining their division-A team in 1985,<ref>{{cite web|title=Roberto Clemente (minors)|publisher=Baseball-Reference|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=clemen003rob|accessdate=August 12, 2010}}</ref> the same year in which he made his debut in the Puerto Rican winter baseball league, with the Arecibo Wolves. A series of injuries prevented Clemente from making it to the major leagues. After playing two seasons with the Phillies, he joined the San Diego Padres after Sandy Alomar Sr. arranged it with the organization in 1986,<ref>{{cite news|title=Young Clemente says he's giving up baseball|work=The Times-News|agency=Associated Press|date=June 3, 1986|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=76EaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ciQEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3607,626578|accessdate=August 12, 2010}}</ref> but he had a knee injury during spring training and was not able to make the team.{{citation needed|date=January 2023}} Clemente insisted on making the major leagues and after three knee surgeries in three years he traveled to Venezuela in 1989, where he homered on the first pitch thrown to him in over three years.{{citation needed|date=January 2023}} He became a well-known player in Venezuela, but after signing a minor league contract with the Baltimore Orioles before the 1989 season, he suffered a career-ending injury to his back and had to retire from professional baseball.{{citation needed|date=January 2023}}
Clemente returned to Puerto Rico and helped his mother make his father's dream a reality, the Roberto Clemente Sports City.<ref>{{cite news|last=Smith|first=Claire|title=Baseball; Clemente's Oldest Son the Keeper of the Flame|work=The New York Times|date=January 10, 1994|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/01/10/sports/baseball-clemente-s-oldest-son-the-keeper-of-the-flame.html|accessdate=August 12, 2010}}</ref> In 1992, he brought Major League Baseball's RBI (Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities) program to Puerto Rico, which has won 10 RBI World Series championships.{{citation needed|date=January 2023}} Clemente moved to Pittsburgh to establish the Roberto Clemente Foundation in 1993 to help bring to the RBI program where there was none.<ref name="tradition">{{cite news|last=Reisler|first=Jim|title=Clemente Baseball Tradition Carried On From Broadcast Booth|work=The New York Times|date=July 19, 1998|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/07/19/nyregion/clemente-baseball-tradition-carried-on-from-broadcast-booth.html?pagewanted=all|accessdate=August 12, 2010}}</ref> When Kevin McClatchy became the Pirates' new owner in 1995, the major league team embraced and promoted RBI Baseball.{{citation needed|date=January 2023}}
In 1997 Clemente accepted an offer to broadcast New York Yankees games<ref name="tradition"/> on television and radio, becoming a Spanish-language announcer for the Yankees on MSG Network, Telemundo, and WADO. WADO inaugurated a weekly talk show with Clemente Jr. as show host in 1997. By 1998, Roberto was splitting the duties as Spanish play by play announcer for the New York Yankees and earned three World Series rings with the 1998, 1999 and 2000 teams.{{citation needed|date=January 2023}} Clemente added more broadcast duties by joining ESPN Deportes as a sideline reporter for the baseball post season and was part of the ESPN Family for another seven years as a color commentator.{{citation needed|date=January 2023}} In 2001, Clemente hosted the Spanish version of MLB's network television show, ''Baseball Max'', and by 2002, was conducting game interviews for ''ESPN Deportes Radio''.{{citation needed|date=January 2023}} Also in 2002, he was named honorary chairman for the Baseball Assistance Team's (BAT) annual fundraising dinner.{{citation needed|date=January 2023}} He is known for his work with the American Diabetes Association.{{citation needed|date=January 2023}}
In 2004, Clemente decided to complete his father's fatal trip with supplies. He joined forces with Project Club Clemente President Eliezer Rodriguez,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.iww.org/unions/iu410/mlb/12-30-2004.shtml|title=Multi-Fiber Education on Roberto Clemente Bridge {{!}} Industrial Workers of the World|website=www.iww.org|access-date=December 29, 2019}}</ref> but the tsunami in southeast Asia forced them to reschedule after Clemente decided to send the aid to where it was needed.{{citation needed|date=January 2023}} In 2005, Clemente hosted a Saturday afternoon show on WFAN in New York City called ''The Latin Beat''. This was his first English-language radio job,<ref name="rises" /> as he also became the first Latino host in the history of the station.{{citation needed|date=January 2023}}
In 2013, Roberto became a member of the board for The National Hispanic Health Foundation because of his work in the forefront of new brain technology.{{citation needed|date=January 2023}} He is currently the Ambassador for RC21x.{{citation needed|date=January 2023}} Clemente was selected to serve as commissioner of President George W. Bush's South Lawn tee-ball League.{{citation needed|date=January 2023}} He co-hosted the tee-ball tournament at Gracie Mansion with NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg from 2006 to 2013.{{citation needed|date=January 2023}}
In 2024, Roberto endorsed the republican candidate Donald Trump for President of the United States.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://triblive.com/local/regional/clemente-family-split-over-roberto-jr-s-endorsement-of-trump/|title=Clemente family split over Roberto Jr.'s endorsement of Trump {{!}} Trib Live|website=www.triblive.com|access-date=November 6, 2024}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{Commons category}} {{baseballstats|brm=clemen003rob}}
{{Roberto Clemente}} {{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clemente, Roberto Jr.}} Category:1965 births Category:Living people Category:Baseball players from San Juan, Puerto Rico Category:Sports commentators Category:Sportspeople from Santurce, Puerto Rico Category:Puerto Rican baseball players Category:Florida Complex League Phillies players Category:Gastonia Jets players Category:Charleston Rainbows players Category:Major League Baseball broadcasters Category:New York Yankees announcers Category:American sports radio personalities