CALL ME ROBERTO!

Despite years of racism and discrimination, Roberto Clemente became a baseball legend.

Born in 1934, Clemente grew up in Puerto Rico, where he played baseball using a tree branch and a tin can. At 19, he left the island to play professional béisbol but spent most of his time on the bench. In 1955 he joined the Pittsburgh Pirates; fans “[loved] Roberto’s bold style,” but as a Black Puerto Rican man who spoke English with an accent, he encountered bigotry. Despite his acrobatic plays, his teammates mocked him, newspapers dubbed him a showoff, and many insultingly called him “Bob.” By 1960 he was an All-Star who led the Pirates to victory in his first World Series. Although he was passed over for MVP because of racist attitudes and suffered further injustices while training with the team in segregated Florida, he finished the season with a .351 batting average and in 1961 won his first Gold Glove. Sports journalist Alonso weaves Spanish words into the story and ratchets up the narrative’s energy with play-by-play descriptions of Clemente’s athleticism. Caldecott honoree Gutierrez’s vibrant mixed-media illustrations evoke urban murals or Afro-Caribbean fabrics, pulsing with swirls, designs, and actions saturated in color and fueled by emotion. Alonso’s author’s note offers more context and emphasizes that though Clemente wasn’t the first Afro-Latine player on an American or National League team, he nevertheless made important strides.

An inspirational, fast-paced biography of a man who broke barriers for athletes of color.