American Experience, Roberto Clemente

Tuesday, Jan. 25, at 9 PM

Repeats Wednesday, Jan. 26, at 2 AM

Airs on Fusion on Saturday, Jan. 29, at 4 PM 

On New Year’s Eve 1972, Roberto Clemente, a 37-year-old baseball player for the Pittsburgh Pirates, boarded a DC-7 loaded with relief supplies for earthquake victims in Managua, Nicaragua. A native of Puerto Rico, Clemente had established a special relief fund for his devastated neighbors. 

Shortly after takeoff the plane crashed into the Atlantic Ocean, a mile off the Puerto Rican coast. Clemente’s body was never found. Roberto Clemente’s untimely death brought an end to a spectacular career. In his 18 seasons with the Pirates, he led the team to two World Series championships, won four National League batting titles, received the Most Valuable Player award and earned 12 Gold Gloves. 

Clemente’s talent and inimitable style drew legions of fans, but as this AMERICAN EXPERIENCE production reveals, he was more than an exceptional baseball player. He was also a committed humanitarian who challenged racial discrimination and worked for social justice. Through interviews with relatives, childhood friends, former teammates and journalists, this biography tells his inspiring and tragic story.