Clemente and the dream he could not fulfill

But the tragic death of the legendary Puerto Rican player in a plane crash on December 31, 1972, while transporting aid to the victims of the earthquake that had struck Nicaragua a week earlier, thwarted the possibility of the Carolinian continuing to pursue one of his post-retirement goals: to be one of the first black managers in MLB history.

Clemente, whose lavish resume included 3,000 hits (440 doubles, 240 home runs and 166 triples), 94.8 WAR, 15 All-Star Game invitations, 12 Gold Gloves, four batting titles, two World Series rings, an MVP award and a lifetime .317 average in 18 seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates, was elected to Cooperstown on a special ballot the year after his death.

Since then, 10 other Latin Americans have received sports immortality for their performance in the Major Leagues: Puerto Ricans Orlando Cepeda (1999, via Veterans Committee), Roberto Alomar (2011), Iván Rodríguez (2016) and Edgar Martínez (2019); Dominicans Juan Marichal (1983), Pedro Martínez (2015) and Vladimir Guerrero (2017); Panamanians Rod Carew (1991) and Mariano Rivera (2019); Venezuelan Luis Aparicio (1984) and Cuban Tany Pérez (2000).

Although he batted .345, .352, .341 and .312, respectively, in his last four seasons, Clemente was unable to play more than 138 games in his last five years, so he knew his wonderful career was about to end. The best thing to do was to start preparing for the next phase.

With that in mind, “The Carolina Comet” agreed to manage the San Juan Senadores in the 1970-71 Puerto Rican winter baseball season, now named after him, and although the journey was relatively successful, the experience did not leave a very pleasant taste.

“No gray hair, but I lost some hair. They wanted to kick me off the island because my club finished second,” Clemente told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette the following spring.

Clemente, who was activated as a player in the second half of the winter season, led the Senadores to a 37-30 record and home-field advantage in the semifinals against their capital rivals, Cangrejeros de Santurce, who were managed by the legendary Frank Robinson.

The Cangrejeros, who had finished in third place during the regular series, defeated Clemente and the Senadores in six games in the semifinal and in seven games against the Criollos de Caguas to win the crown.

“Clemente was intense and strict, who expected the best, and demanded the same from his players as he demanded from himself,” said Jorge Colón Delgado, noted Puerto Rican baseball historian. “Everything I have heard, from players who were under his command and opponents who faced him, is positive. They all agree that he had the basic tools to try to be a manager in the MLB,” Delgado added.

Clemente announced his retirement from the Puerto Rican league and focused on preparing for the summer. He wanted to connect the 118 hits that separated him from the 3,000 mark in the Major Leagues, something he accomplished with a double in the fourth inning of the September 30, 1972 game against the New York Mets. It was the last regular season inning of his life.

When he returned to Puerto Rico, instead of trying to manage in the winter league, Clemente signed a contract with a telecommunications company to give baseball clinics to youngsters throughout the country and accepted the responsibility of guiding the national team that participated in the XX World Amateur Baseball Series, which was held in Nicaragua from November 15 to December 5.

With Clemente at the helm, Puerto Rico had a 9-6 record to tie with the Dominican Republic and Taiwan for sixth place in the tournament. Cuba defeated the United States in the final to win the gold medal. Meanwhile, Nicaragua defeated Japan in the third place game.

Less than a month after the World Amateur Series concluded, Clemente died trying to return to Nicaragua. He never had an official farewell as a player, much less the opportunity to try to continue his career in the Major Leagues as a manager.

“He possibly would have been a manager, although not necessarily the first black,” Delgado said. “You have to remember that Frank Robinson, who had been his rival in the Puerto Rican league, was further along in the process of being the first African-American manager. But most likely, Clemente was going to be the first Puerto Rican manager in the Major Leagues,” the historian added.

In October 1974, two years after Clemente’s death, the Cleveland Indians hired Robinson as the first African-American manager in the Major Leagues. The Puerto Ricans had to wait for four decades, until June 23, 2010, when Edwin Rodríguez replaced Cuban Fredi González at the helm of the Miami Marlins.

Since Cuban Mike Gonzalez replaced Frankie Frisch at the helm of the St. Louis Cardinals for the final 16 games of the 1938 season, 19 other Latin Americans have managed in MLB, including Puerto Ricans Rodriguez, Sandy Alomar Jr. (interim), Alex Cora, Dave Martinez and Charlie Montoyo.

Cora and Martínez won the last two editions of the World Series, with the Boston Red Sox (2018) and Washington Nationals (2019), respectively.

Carlos Beltrán was named manager of the New York Mets at the end of 2019, but months later, before debuting, he reached an agreement to separate from the team after his role in the Houston Astros’ sign-stealing scandal. An episode that also led to a one-year suspension for Cora.

Cora was a bench coach and Beltrán was the designated hitter for those Astros who won the World Series.

Long before all that, Clemente worked to be first.

“One of the aspects that symbolizes Clemente’s life is that for him there were no obstacles when he set his mind to something. He demonstrated that throughout his baseball career and his life in general,” Delgado said.