Predict

What did Clemente do to win respect?

At home that Christmas, Roberto went back to the same muddy field he’d played on as a boy. In his pocket was a bag full of bottle caps that he emptied into the hands of some kids. They threw him the caps, and he hit each one again and again.

When he returned to Pittsburgh come spring, baseballs looked HUGE, and he clobbered them as never before. That season, he hit .351, the highest batting average in the National League. And still he did not get the credit he deserved for being so great.

“It’s because I’m black, isn’t it?” he asked the sneering reporters. “It’s because I am Puerto Rican. It’s because I am proud.”

Illustration of Roberto giving a handful of bottlecaps to young boys Illustration of Roberto throwing a ball to beat a runner sliding into home plate
Key Vocabulary

  • credit n., acknowledgment; opinion that builds a reputation

In Other Words

come in the

clobbered them as never before hit them harder than he ever had before

sneering rude, hateful

Sports Background

In baseball, a batting average is a statistic, or type of measurement, that shows how often a player hits the ball. Today, a batting average higher than .300 is considered excellent. Clemente’s season average of .351 was amazing!