Remembering Roberto Clemente’s 3000th Hit
The article recounts a personal story about a baseball bat once owned by Roberto Clemente. It reveals that the bat, given to the author's father by former Pirates GM Joe Brown, was believed to be the one Clemente used for his 3,000th hit. This revelation came during a visit from Tony Bartirome, a former Pirates infielder, who recognized the bat and shared its significance.
- ▪The author's father has a collection of baseball bats from famous players.
- ▪One bat, an Adirondack model, was given to the author's father by Joe Brown after Clemente's death.
- ▪Tony Bartirome identified the bat as the one Clemente used for his 3,000th hit during a visit to the author's home.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
My father has lots of old baseball bats given to him by players he worked with over the years. He has Mickey Mantle bats from his years with the Yankees, and Willie Stargell and Dave Parker bats from his days with the Pirates. The one I always loved best was an Adirondack model with R CLEMENTE embossed in modest block letters, instead of the usual signature burned into the barrel. On the bottom of the knob, Roberto had written a tiny “37” in ballpoint pen, presumably to indicate its weight: 37 ounces. It also had a series of scrapes around the middle where someone had scratched off the trademark stripe that encircled all Adirondack bats. Former Pirates GM Joe Brown gave my dad this bat several years after Roberto died.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at kottke.org.
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