April 24, 1955: Roberto Clemente notches first career game-winning RBI

The weather at Connie Mack Stadium in Philadelphia was cold and miserable with 40-mph winds for the Pirates-Phillies game on April 24, 1955. Unfortunately for the Pirates, the 1955 season had so far matched the weather. It was marred by rainouts and eight consecutive losses to start the season and the 14th consecutive loss going back to the end of the ‘54 campaign. The eighth loss set a franchise record for consecutive losses to start a season and was one shy of tying the all-time record of nine, set by the 1918 Brooklyn Robins.1

The 1954 Pittsburgh Pirates finished the year with an abysmal 53-101 record and dead last in the National League. But, with the advent of spring each team has hope, and the 1955 Pirates were no different. General manager Branch Rickey proclaimed, “This 1955 club will be the best Pittsburgh has had in many years. The Pirates will be a happy surprise to our people sooner or later.” He tempered that enthusiasm by adding, “That surprise can come this year. It could, but most certainly not later than 1956.”2 The local media was even less enthused. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette sportswriter Al Abrams opined, “[W]e’re going out on a shaky limb and predict the Pirates will finally make seventh place this year.”3 But there was hope, most notably in Dick Groat and Roberto Clemente.

Groat had enjoyed success in the 1952 campaign but had spent the previous two years in military service. He was off to a mediocre start, batting .231 with no home runs or RBIs and only one run scored in five games.

Clemente was a highly touted prospect signed by the Dodgers on February 19, 1954, out of Puerto Rico at the age of 19. Clemente’s signing bonus was reported to be $10,000, which made him a “bonus baby.” This required him to be on the major-league roster for two years or be subject to loss via the Rule 5 draft. Dodgers GM Buzzie Bavasi had persuaded Rickey not to draft the young outfielder and to draft another Dodgers player, John Rutherford, which would have left Clemente a Dodger. Believing he had a deal in place, Bavasi left Clemente unprotected. Bavasi soon learned the deal was off. “It seemed that [Dodgers’ owner] Walter O’Malley and Mr. Rickey got in another argument and it seems Walter called Mr. Rickey every name in the book,”4 Bavasi told Clemente’s SABR biographer, Stew Thornley. Despite Bavasi’s efforts, when the Dodgers left the young outfielder form Puerto Rico unprotected, Rickey scooped him up with the first pick in the November 22, 1964, draft.

Clemente had been tearing up winter ball in Puerto Rico. He was playing for the Santurce Cangrejeros alongside Willie Mays. Manager Herman Franks called Clemente “the best player in the league, except for Willie Mays.”5 On Opening Day 1955, Clemente was notably absent from the lineup. Instead, another youngster, Roman Mejias, played right field. New York Giants scout Tom Sheehan questioned Clemente’s absence from the lineup and was told, “(Manager) Fred Haney thinks he’s going to be a good ball player but feels certain pitchers will give him trouble.”6

Mejias’s start to the 1955 season was rough. He went 2-for-11 in the Pirates’ first three games with a home run and two RBIs. Clemente’s time on the bench was not long and he made his major-league debut on April 17, 1955, against the Dodgers and went 1-for-4 with a run scored.

In the first game of the Sunday afternoon doubleheader, the starter for manager Haney’s Pirates was Max Surkont, who was in his second year with Pittsburgh. Surkont was the Opening Day pitcher and making his third start of the season. His previous two starts were disasters. He gave up 13 runs in 10⅓ innings and lost both games. Going for the Phillies was another right-hander, Jim Owens, who was making his second career start.

Owens immediately found himself in trouble. He walked Clemente to start the game and added another walk before getting out of the jam without allowing a run. Surkont followed suit in the bottom half, giving up a two-out double and a walk before retiring Earl Torgesen to end the half-inning.

Owens’s fortunes did not improve in the second. Dale Long greeted him with a single to center. Toby Atwell grounded to first and Long advanced to second. Gene Freese knocked a triple to left, scoring Long and giving the Pirates the lead. Freese held third as Surkont grounded out to first. It looked as if Jones might limit the damage. Clemente, up next, instead hit a line-drive single to right to give Pittsburgh a 2-0 lead. The RBI gave Clemente three in the young season. Owens walked Groat and was off to the showers after only 1⅔ innings. Steve Ridzik retired Felipe Montemayor on a groundout to first to stop the bleeding.

Surkont tossed a shutdown inning in the bottom of the second despite allowing a leadoff walk. Both teams were retired without scoring a run in the third. The Pirates broke the game open in the fourth. Atwell walked and Freese reached on an error by Ridzik on a bunt attempt. Surkont attempted to sacrifice but Atwell was forced out at third. Phillies third baseman Willie Jones threw the ball away trying for a double play at second and the runners advanced to second and third. Freese held third as Clemente flied to right, but he and Surkont scored on Groat’s double to right. Montemayor singled to right to give the Pirates a five-run lead. Phillies manager Mayo Smith called on Thornton Kipper to relieve Ridzik and Kipper struck out Frank Thomas.

In the Phillies’ fourth, Surkont continued to live dangerously, giving up a single and walk before getting a double play off the bat of Willie Jones. Stan Palys flied out to left field to end the inning. The Phillies scored in the bottom of the sixth when Del Ennis launched a home run to deep left field. That proved to be the lone run for the Phillies.

Both teams managed a hit in the seventh with no runs scored. In the eighth, Freese led off with a single off the fourth Phillies pitcher, Dave Cole, and was sacrificed to second by Surkont. Clemente doubled to center field, scoring Freese. Clemente’s second RBI of the day gave the Pirates a commanding 6-1 lead. The inning ended when Groat and Montemayor grounded out.

The Phillies stranded baserunners in the eighth and ninth. Surkont finished off the opposition to gain the complete-game victory and give the Pirates their first win of the young season. Surkont kept the Phillies at bay over his nine innings, allowing eight hits and four walks. Surkont improved his record to 1-2 and lowered his ERA to 6.52. Owens took the loss for the Phillies and fell to 0-2.

The Pirates had several offensive stars in their victory. Freese had three hits and three runs scored. Long had four hits, including a double and a run scored. Groat added two hits and two RBIs, but it was Clemente who sparked the Pittsburgh offense. He was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs. Since Clemente’s insertion into the lineup, he was batting .381 with two doubles and four RBIs.

The win came on the eve of Haney’s birthday and the team “whooped it up” as “flashbulbs popped” in the clubhouse after the game.7

Despite the Pirates’ struggles over the previous years and a rough start to the ‘55 season, Clemente seemed to offer some hope for the team’s future.8 His second-inning single had provided the Pirates with their second run in the 6-1 victory, giving him the first game-winning RBI of his career.

SOURCES

In addition to the sources mentioned in the Notes, the author consulted B​aseba​ll-Re​feren​ce.​com, SABR.​org, and Retrosheet.org.

h​ttps:​//www​.base​ball-​refer​ence.​com/b​oxes/​PHI/P​HI195​50424​1.​shtml

h​ttps:​//www​.retr​oshee​t.org​/boxe​setc/​1955/​B0424​1PHI1​955.h​tm

NOTES

1 The 1988 Baltimore Orioles set a new record with 21 straight losses.

2 Branch Rickey, “Third Base Weak Spot, GM Admits,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, April 14, 1955.

3 Al Abrams, “Sidelights on Sports,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, April 14, 1955: 14.

4 Stew Thornley, “Roberto Clemente,” SABR biography project Roberto Clemente – Society for American Baseball Research (sabr.​org).

5 Stew Thornley, “Roberto Clemente.”

6 Jack Hernon, “Who’s in Left, Center and Right,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, April 15, 1955: 25.

7 Russ Green (United Press), “Pirates Beat Phillies, Snap Losing Streak,” Shamokin (Pennsylvania) News-Dispatch, April 25, 1955: 6.

8 The Phillies won the second game of the doubleheader, 3-0, though the final score was not known until June 28. Heavy rain delayed the start of the game, which was suspended in the eighth inning by a Philadelphia curfew and completed on the June date.