My First World Series; by Daniel

 Author’s Note

  Roberto Walker Clemente was one of the greatest baseball players ever.  He was born on August 18th, 1934 in Carolina, Puerto Rico.  He had 6 siblings and had little money. 

   He started his career with the Dodgers but then was not signed and became a Pirate.  In his career he won 3 batting titles, 1 MVP, and 2 World Series. 

   Roberto’s life was taken away by a terrible plane crash on December 31st, 1972.  He was bringing supplies to Nicaragua after a terrible earthquake there.  Roberto Clemente was one of the greatest humanitarians in world history.

   This is a Memoir D’un Autre about Roberto’s first World Series.

    The usual darkened Pittsburgh is now filled with light.  Cheers and noise fill the air as I go to the stadium.  I feel like I am invincible or superman or something.  I have a feeling this World Series will be different.  This is 1960, 5 years ago the Pittsburgh Pirates were last in the NL.  “Wow.” I thought.  But the team we were to face was a true dynasty.  The New York Yankees.

   Before the World Series, I would say to my wife, Vera “When the paper describes all the Pirates, do you know what they say about me ‘good fielder and runner.’  What about my hitting?  I hit .314 this season, 4th in the league.  I also hope I win MVP instead of my teammate and ’shoo-in’ Dick Groats.”

   I had a conversation with Dick.

   I said ” I hope I win MVP.”

   “I hope I win, too” Dick said to me.

   “At least we will be happy if a fellow teammate win.”  I said.

   “It would be great if one of us won.” Dick replied.

   “We better beat those Yanks or our season will be for nothing.” Dick said 

   “It will be for something.  We defied the critics and won the pennant.” I said

   In the first game of this World Series, we won a close one, 6-4, but the next 2 games were rough.  The Yankees blew us out 16-3 and 10-0.  Mickey Mantle bombed two home runs in those games.  The balls he hit were like cannonballs coming out of a cannon. 

   Then in the final game, with the series tied 3-3, it was memorable.

   We had Vernon on the hill.  We were ready for victory.  But he only gave us 5 par-like performance innings.  ElRoy came in but he did us no good.  It was 7-4 going into the 8th inning.

  Before my at-bat, in the 8th inning, I said to myself “Think back to hitting tin cans with sticks in Puerto Rico.”

   It worked.  I hit a single.  We were getting closer to tying this ballgame up.  And it did help us.  We got the lead, 9-7.  But the Yankees weren’t ready to give up. 

   Bobby Friend was pitching for us now.  The guy who was killing us at the plate was up, Bobby Richardson.  He knocked a single.  Several more Yankee players got hits after Richardson’s single.  They tied it up, 9 all.  I was upset.  “We could have won it” I thought. 

   I saw the greenest grass in the World Series.  I heard cheers from our crowd like never before.  I felt amazing when I played in the World Series.  I thought we were going to win the World Series, but right now, I feel like were not going to win the World Series. 

   I looked out of dugout in the bottom of the 9th as Bill Mazeroski came up to the plate for us.  Then, he hit one, HARD.  “GO, GO, GO, HOME RUN!  Yes!  WE WON THE WORLD SERIES!” I thought.  We came from worst to the World Champions of Baseball. 

   I skipped the party with my teammates.  But Bill stopped me before I left the stadium.

   ”Come on, let’s go to the party” Bill said to me.

   I said “I have another thing I must do first.”  I walked through the streets of Pittsburgh.  Everyone cheered and yelled with joy.  And for the first time, I felt Pittsburgh was my home.

   The next day, Dick was voted MVP.  I came in 8th, behind TWO other Pirates players besides Dick.  I still thought I should have won.  The feeling of coming in 8th was like losing every game, ever. 

  That afternoon, the usual gloomy Pittsburgh was now filled with joy.  And that brightened my day. 

  Now, 10 years later, that World Series helped me become a better player, and not winning MVP and coming in 8th help me better person and think about others before myself.