My hero growing up. I was a Mets fan since childhood as I was introduced to them by my mother since I was a little boy as my mother transferred her allegiance to the Mets when they became the new kids in town after the Brooklyn Dodgers broke her heart ❤️ I was instantly hooked as I celebrated with my mom when the Mets beat the Orioles in 5 games in the 1969 World Series. I'm still a Mets fan but it's not the same since my mom passed in 1990 at age 50. Though I was a Mets fan my hero and most favorite player of all time was the late great Roberto Clemente who was not only a very talented baseball player but he was a wonderful husband, father and Good Samaritan. Sadly after hitting his 3,000 career baseball ⚾️ hit that would be his last. He hit that historical achievement off Mets pitcher Jon Matlack at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh, PA in the 4th inning on September 30, 1972 which was a double. On December 31, 1972 after a major earthquake Roberto Clemente flew to Managua Nicaragua 🇳🇮 to help in a humanitarian effort but tragically he was on a plane that was too overloaded and unsafe to fly with such extra weight. The weight was attributed to many cases of food and supplies loaded for the relief effort. The plane went down into the ocean shortly after takeoff in Puerto Rico 🇵🇷 due to engine failure. He died at age 38 leaving behind a wife and 3 children; a Pittsburgh Pirates team that was deeply affected, the city of Pittsburgh and his native Puerto Rico 🇵🇷 heartbroken. His uniform number 21 is retired by the Pittsburgh Pirates organization and he made history by making the hall of fame posthumously without the 5 year waiting period. #pittsburgh #pittsburghpirates #piratesbaseball #robertoclemente #managuanicaragua #managua #earthquake #planecrash #baseballhalloffame #cooperstown #baseball #jonmatlack #mets #newyorkmets #1972 #september301972 #december311972 #baseballlegend #humanitarian #sportsicon #baseballhero #emilyiannielli (at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)