July 25, 1954: Montreal Royals defeat Havana on Roberto Clemente’s walk-off home run

Max Macon, the new manager of the Montreal Royals, knew exactly what was expected of him.1 The Royals, a Brooklyn Dodgers Triple-A affiliate, were not unlike most minor-league teams in the 1950s: Turning a profit usually took precedence over player development.2 “The only orders I had were to win and draw big crowds,” Macon acknowledged.3 Given the strength of the Royals roster and the quality of International League pitching in 1954, it wasn’t all that surprising that a raw, 19-year-old Roberto Clemente had difficulty finding playing time with Montreal in his first (and only) minor-league season.4

The Royals had won the Governors’ Cup in five of the previous eight seasons, and they were the defending Junior World Series champions.5 They were expected to challenge for the pennant once again in 1954.6

Macon had given Clemente plenty of opportunities in spring training to show what he could do.7 The youngster hit only .200 in 40 spring at-bats, the lowest mark among the five outfielders who came north with the Royals to start the season.8 As a result, Clemente started the regular season buried in the depth chart behind more seasoned outfielders.9

A closer look at Clemente’s spring-training at-bats shows just how overmatched he was in the early going. The Royals had a relatively easy spring schedule, with 12 of their 22 games against teams at Double A or below.10 One of those games was a seven-inning affair on April 1 against a team known simply as the Civilians, a group of ex-servicemen who were waiting to be assigned to one of the Dodgers minor-league affiliates.11 The Civilians had Robert Virkstis and Lester Fessette toss six of the seven innings that day – pitchers who spent the 1954 season in Class-D and Class-B ball, respectively. Clemente went 3-for-4 in the game, including an inside-the-park home run. But set aside his offensive outburst against a weak Civilian squad and Clemente hit only .139 (5-for-36) with no extra-base hits in the other spring-training games.12

Despite Clemente’s spring-training struggles, Macon, who was a strong proponent of the platoon system,13 penciled his young Puerto Rican outfielder into the starting lineup the first four times the Royals faced a left-handed starting pitcher in the regular season.14 Clemente went 4-for-8 in Montreal’s first five games, but Macon had him on a short leash with four more experienced outfielders at his disposal. After a 0-for-10 stretch between April 30 and May 8, Clemente was shifted into a bench role and he was mainly used as a pinch-runner and late-inning defensive replacement until June 3.

Clemente’s chances for regular playing time decreased significantly when the Royals upgraded their already strong outfield twice in early May. Gino Cimoli replaced Bert Hamric on May 8, and a few days later Brooklyn optioned the 1953 International League batting champion, Sandy Amorós, to Montreal.15 Amorós picked up where he left off the previous season with the Royals, and he reeled off a 27-game hitting streak from June 16 to July 7.16 When the Dodgers recalled Amorós on July 12, Clemente didn’t move up the Royals depth chart, because Brooklyn had also optioned 30-year-old outfielder Don Thompson to Montreal after he refused to report to their other Triple-A affiliate, in St. Paul.17

Even with the logjam of quality outfielders, Clemente got a second chance as a platoon player. Between June 4 and July 9, he started eight games ? all against left-handed starting pitchers ? but he went only 6-for-34 (.176). He was relegated to a bench role once again. Between July 10 and July 24, Clemente appeared in only one of Montreal’s 16 games and that was as a pinch-runner in the first game of a July 21 twin bill.18

Clemente’s breakthrough came on July 25 in Montreal when the Havana Sugar Kings faced the Royals in a Sunday afternoon doubleheader. Montreal started the day in third place with a 53-43 record, one game ahead of fourth-place Havana.19 Royals hurler Ken Lehman (12-5) got the start in the opener, while the Sugar Kings countered with 32-year-old right-hander Saul Rogovin, who had won the 1951 American League ERA title with the White Sox before running into arm troubles. As had been the case since July 8, Clemente was on the bench to start the game. The struggling rookie was hitting .207 with just one extra-base hit in 58 at-bats.

Lehman kept Havana off the scoresheet in the top of the first inning, but the teams scored multiple runs in their next four at-bats, with the lead changing hands four times. When the dust had settled, Havana led, 5-4, after 2½ innings. Both pitchers helped their own cause, as Rogovin drove in two runs with a double and Lehman smacked a two-run home run.20 The other big blast was a two-run shot by Havana first baseman Paul Smith.

Smith notched his third RBI of the game in the top of the fifth to extend Havana’s lead to 6-4. Lehman’s day came to an end four batters later when he walked Luis Morales, loading the bases with two out. Reliever Art Fabbro came in and retired the side without allowing any further damage.

Montreal drew back within a run in the bottom of the fifth on an RBI single by center fielder Thompson.

Macon sent left-handed-hitting Dick Whitman in to pinch-hit for left fielder Cimoli in the bottom of the eighth to gain the platoon advantage against Rogovin. The move failed to spark the Royals offense, as Whitman was unable to reach base and the score remained 6-5 through eight innings. Since Whitman normally played right field, Macon sent Clemente out to left for the ninth. With no more outfielders on the bench, Clemente was in the game until its conclusion.

Montreal rallied to put runners on the corners with one out in the bottom of the ninth against a tiring Rogovin, and so lefty Ken Raffensberger was brought in to face slugger Rocky Nelson. Nelson came through with a clutch sacrifice fly and the game was tied, 6-6. Havana’s top reliever, righty Charlie “Bubba” Harris, replaced Raffensberger on the mound. Harris got out of the inning unscathed, sending the see-saw battle into extra innings.

After Havana failed to score in the top of the 10th, Harris retired Thompson to open the bottom of the frame. The next batter, Clemente, capitalized on his opportunity by slamming a 350-foot home run to left field, giving Montreal a thrilling 7-6 walk-off victory.21

Macon rewarded Clemente by giving him the start in the second game of the doubleheader against 34-year-old left-hander Hooks Iott.22 Clemente recorded the eventual game-winning RBI with a double in the second inning, and he finished the doubleheader with two extra-base hits in three at-bats. For the remainder of the regular season and the playoffs, Clemente got the start whenever the opposing pitcher was a southpaw.23 Between July 25 and the end of the regular season, he hit a much-improved .289 in 90 at-bats and Montreal played .593 baseball.

The Royals finished in second place with an 88-66 record. They dispatched third-place Rochester in six games in the playoff semifinals, with the series-clinching RBI coming off the bat of veteran Dixie Howell in Game Six with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning. Howell had been inserted as a pinch-hitter for Clemente against Rochester ace Jack Faszholz, whose streak of eight consecutive victories against Montreal was thus snapped.24

Toward the tail end of the playoff series with Rochester, Macon was interviewed by Montreal Gazette columnist Dink Carroll about the top prospects in the International League. Macon referred to Clemente as a “wonderful prospect” before making an interesting disclosure. “But I don’t know if we can hold him,” he admitted. “Clyde Sukeforth scouted him and I’m pretty sure the Pirates intend to draft him [in the Rule 5 draft].”25 Clemente had caught Sukeforth’s eye at the beginning of June when he was in Richmond to scout Montreal pitcher Joe Black.26 Sukeforth, who had managed Macon in Montreal between 1940 and ‘42, had a conversation with his former player about Clemente in Richmond.27

The Royals were upset by fourth-place Syracuse in seven games in the Governors’ Cup final.

Clemente saw limited action in the playoffs, as Montreal’s opponents used a left-handed starting pitcher in only three of its 13 postseason games. He was limited to three singles and one RBI in seven at-bats.28

After the season, Clemente played in the Puerto Rican Winter League, and he was turning heads with a .380 batting average when the Rule 5 Draft was held in late November in New York.29 Just as Macon had feared, Pittsburgh selected Clemente (with the first overall pick). But the Dodgers may have lost the future Hall of Famer even if Sukeforth hadn’t been so observant during his fateful June scouting trip. According to Pittsburgh vice president Branch Rickey Jr., Clemente was “the number one draft choice on at least four or five clubs.”30

SOURCES

In addition to the sources cited in the Notes, the author consulted B​aseba​ll-Re​feren​ce.​com, The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, and R​etros​heet.​org.

NOTES

1 In 1954 Macon took over the managerial duties from Walter Alston, who had managed the Montreal Royals during the previous four seasons. Alston began his 23-year tenure as manager of the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers in 1954.

2 The theory that the Dodgers attempted to hide Clemente in Montreal was debunked by SABR researcher Stew Thornley in 2006. Stew Thornley, “Clemente’s Entry into Organized Baseball: Hidden in Montreal?,” The National Pastime (SABR, 2006), h​ttp:/​/rese​arch.​sabr.​org/j​ourna​ls/fi​les/S​ABR-N​ation​al_Pa​stime​-26.​pdf, accessed September 23, 2021.

3 Thornley.

4 Macon was under the impression that Clemente was one year younger than he was. That is, he thought Clemente was only 18 when the season began. “Macon Denies Hiding Clemente from Scouts,” The Capital (Annapolis, Maryland), November 25, 1971: 19.

5 The Governors’ Cup was awarded to the playoff champion of the International League. The champions of the American Association and the International League met annually in the Junior World Series.

6 Dink Carroll, “Playing the Field,” Montreal Gazette, April 21, 1954: 20; Jean Barrette, “Autour des Buts,” La Patrie, April 18, 1954: 107.

7 Clemente collected 40 at-bats in 16 spring-training games. The most at-bats by a Montreal outfielder (Bert Hamric) that spring was 44 – only four more than Clemente had.

8 “Royals’ Batting Averages,” Montreal Gazette, April 21, 1954: 20.

9 The other outfielders on Montreal’s Opening Day roster were 34-year-old Jack Cassini, 33-year-old Dick Whitman, 29-year-old Ken Wood, and 26-year-old Bert Hamric. Cassini, Whitman, and Wood had previous big-league experience, while Hamric was coming off a season in which he hit .298 in Double A. On May 8 the Brooklyn Dodgers sent 24-year-old outfielder Gino Cimoli to Montreal from their other Triple-A affiliate, in St. Paul; Hamric was transferred in the opposite direction that same day. Cimoli had played for the Royals between 1949 and 1952. The 1953 International League batting champion, Sandy Amorós, was demoted by the Dodgers in May 1954 and occupied one of the three starting outfielder positions with Montreal between May 13 and July 11. Wood was sent to the Richmond Virginians to free up a roster spot for Amorós, who remained with the Royals until he was recalled by Brooklyn on July 12. On June 28 Brooklyn optioned 30-year-old outfielder Don Thompson to St. Paul, but he refused to report to the Saints. He reported to Montreal, where he had enjoyed great success in 1950 and 1952. Thompson had 167 at-bats with the Royals between July 10, 1954, and the end of the regular season.

10 The Royals played one game against a Brooklyn Dodgers “B” squad. Their other spring games were against nine Triple-A teams, three Double-A teams, eight Single-A teams, and one unclassified squad. The author compiled a list of the Royals’ 1954 spring-training games using box scores in Montreal newspapers. The spreadsheet, which includes Clemente’s game log, can be found at h​ttps:​//doc​s.goo​gle.c​om/sp​reads​heets​/d/1X​DBpPQ​ZMquG​bTdHw​eArQw​q-GOE​IkRCL​NsoID​I6hro​fg.

11 Canadian Press, “Clemente Paces Royals to Win,” Montreal Gazette, April 2, 1954: 22.

12 Clemente also recorded two singles in five at-bats in Montreal’s final spring-training game, on April 16 against the Class-A Elmira Pioneers. All five of those at-bats were against lefty Emerson Unzicker, a pitcher who posted a 5.08 ERA and 1.941 WHIP in Class-A ball that season.

13 Thornley.

14 The author compiled a 1954 game log for Clemente’s regular-season and playoff games using box scores in Montreal newspapers. The spreadsheet can be found at h​ttps:​//doc​s.goo​gle.c​om/sp​reads​heets​/d/1h​VW48d​TMqo0​1utBW​YaKQB​w_JjU​tAT-l​atNtU​dgP1​Y54.

15 Ken Wood was sent from the Royals to the Richmond Virginians to free up a roster spot for Amorós. “Hamric Sent to St. Paul; Nelson Back,” Montreal Gazette, May 8, 1954: 8.

16 Amorós’s 27-game hitting streak broke his own team record of 26, which was set in 1953.

17 “Royals Play Host to Ottawa,” Montreal Gazette, July 13, 1954: 18.

18 Clemente was also announced as a pinch-hitter in the ninth inning of the first game of a July 11 doubleheader in Syracuse. But when the Chiefs brought in a right-handed pitcher to replace a lefty on the mound, Macon called Clemente back to the bench and used a left-handed pinch-hitter instead – pitcher Tommy Lasorda. The future Dodgers manager was retired on a popup. Associated Press, “Royals Lose Doubleheader to Syracuse Chiefs, 10-8, 2-0,” Montreal Gazette, July 12, 1954: 16.

19 The top four teams in the standings qualified for the International League playoffs.

20 Dink Carroll, “Clemente, Lasorda Bright Spots as Royals Take Double,” Montreal Gazette, July 26, 1954: 20.

21 Associated Press, “Sugar Kings Drop Pair to Royals,” Richmond Times-Dispatch, July 26, 1954: 18.

22 The second game of the twin bill was a seven-inning affair.

23 Clemente did not start a single game in the regular season or playoffs in which the opposing starter was a right-hander.

24 Dink Carroll, “Royals Dispose of Wings 4-3 as Howell Singles in Ninth,” Montreal Gazette, September 24, 1954: 24.

25 Dink Carroll, “Playing the Field,” Montreal Gazette, September 21, 1954: 18. At the time, the Rule 5 Draft was commonly referred to as the Major-League Draft.

26 Black had been recently demoted to Montreal by Brooklyn. He had posted an 11.57 ERA in five relief appearances with the Dodgers in April and May.

27 Thornley; Stephen J. Nesbitt, “Hide and Seek: The True Story of How the Dodgers Lost Roberto Clemente,” The Athletic, December 17, 2019.

28 Clemente game log compiled by the author at h​ttps:​//doc​s.goo​gle.c​om/sp​reads​heets​/d/1h​VW48d​TMqo0​1utBW​YaKQB​w_JjU​tAT-l​atNtU​dgP1​Y54.

29 Associated Press, “Majors Pick 13 Players,” Racine (Wisconsin) Journal-Times, November 23, 1954: 13.

30 The other teams that were believed to be poised to take Clemente with their first pick included the Baltimore Orioles, Chicago White Sox, Kansas City Athletics, New York Giants, and St. Louis Cardinals. Kansas City held the second overall pick. Associated Press, “Majors Pick 13 Players”; Hy Turkin, “‘Good Prospects Fewer’ – Only 13 in Majors’ Draft,” The Sporting News, December 1, 1954: 4.