The life-altering link between Neil Walker and Roberto Clemente

Thirteen years before Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Neil Walker was born, an event occurred nearly 2,000 miles away from his eventual hometown that would forever change his life.

“I obviously owe a lot to Roberto Clemente,” he recalls.

Yes, that Roberto Clemente. The Hall of Famer member that spent 18 seasons with the Pirates, winning National League MVP honors in 1966. The one who registered his 3,000th hit in the final game of his career. The Puerto Rico native and 12-time All-Star that finished his career with 12 consecutive Gold Gloves, a .317 average, and an .834 OPS.

How Clemente affected Walker, though, was not from anything that he had accomplished on a baseball diamond. While he was one of the greatest outfielders to ever play the game, Clemente was as influential off the field as he was on it, devoting hundreds of hours of his time to humanitarian efforts, especially back in his homeland of Puerto Rico.

In December 1972, a devastating earthquake crippled Nicaragua’s capital city Managua with a magnitude of 6.2. At the time, Walker’s father, Tom Walker, was a Major League pitcher playing winter ball after completing his first big league season with the Montreal Expos.

“Clemente was a player-coach in Puerto Rico when my dad was on the team [in 1972],” Walker tells The Good Point.

Damaging an area of 27 square kilometers, the earthquake left over 250,000 people homeless and hundreds of thousands more displaced. In addition to damaging thousands of buildings and limiting just 10 percent to working water service, all four main hospitals in Managua were rendered unserviceable and panic struck throughout the city.

When millions of dollars-worth of relief supplies were sent from over 25 countries to help with the tragedy – including some flights organized by Clemente – Nicaragua’s corrupt Somoza government intercepted the planes and hoarded the supplies for themselves.

When Clemente heard of the news, he put in a plan in motion to send another plane packed with relief supplies to Nicaragua. To ensure that they were actually received by those who needed them, Clemente flew on the plane to escort them himself.

On Dec. 31, Clemente and some of his teammates loaded supplies onto that plane; a Douglas DC-7 that had a history of mechanical problems and sub-par flight personnel. Clemente’s teammates insisted on accompanying him on the trip, but since the plane was actually overloaded and there was little room for more passengers, Clemente insisted that his teammates “enjoy New Year’s Eve”.

Shortly after takeoff, the plane’s engines burst into flames and the aircraft nosedived straight into the water of Isla Verde, Puerto Rico, claiming the lives of Clemente and the plane’s crew. Rescue efforts started immediately and were extensive, but Clemente’s body was never found.

For Walker, besides hearing about how one of baseball’s all-time greats unfortunately perished, what was even more chilling was to hear that his father was one of the men that helped Clemente load the plane.

“The year that he died, [my dad] helped him load the plane that went down. I owe a lot to Roberto Clemente, I don’t know what more to say. It’s kind of strange to think about, but that’s what it is.”

In 1971, Major League Baseball debuted the Commissioner’s Award, which was given to one player who best exemplified the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement, and contribution to his team. After Clemente lost his life, though, the award was renamed the Roberto Clemente Award.

Another award in Clemente’s name is presented by the Pittsburgh baseball writers every year to the Pirates’ most outstanding player. Walker became the first rookie to be the outright winner of the award last year, and given his ties to Clemente, it was that much more special.

“Just to be in the same breath as somebody that’s made as much of an impact, not just on the city of Pittsburgh, not just on Major League Baseball, but just as a humanitarian is something I’ll take pride in,” says Walker.

“When you have something as special as an award with Roberto Clemente’s name on it, it hits home pretty good. I feel very proud and fortunate.”