Clemente: Trade Me

May 5, 1965 - Roberto Clemente, the Pirates’ All-Star outfielder and National League batting champion, wants to be traded.

The hard-throwing, hard-hitting veteran of 10 full seasons with the Bucs, apparently in a fit of temperament, popped off in the clubhouse today to newsmen and in the presence of his teammates, saying: “I want to be traded from this club, and I don’t want to play for this manager [Harry Walker] anymore.”

Clemente, who reported late to spring training at Fort Myers, Fla., after a bout with malaria, had been benched for the past several games.

His statement today was apparently prompted by his inactivity.

It was a surprise to Walker.

“If Clemente wants to be traded, he hasn’t said a word to me about it,” the Pirates’ manager said. “I don’t know what he has in mind.”

Walker said Clemente revealed he was weak and had no pep with his listless play and hitting in recent games.

“He looked good at San Francisco and Los Angeles and boosted his average to over .300, so I kept him in the lineup,” Walker said.

Walker added that he talked to Clemente Sunday in St. Louis, telling him he wanted to get more left-handed power into the doubleheader with the Cardinals, who were starting two righthanders.

Jerry Lynch replaced Clemente in right field that day. In the two games, Lynch made four hits in seven times at bat, including a homer. Tuesday, in the Bucs’ victory over the Cubs, he was 3-for-3 with two homers. Today, he had two hits in three times at bat. That’s a batting average of .692 for the last four games for Lynch.

Clemente hadn’t been hitting for several games, and when called on twice as a pinch hitter Sunday, he struck out both times.

Clemente hit .339 to win the National League batting title last season. He also won the batting title in 1961 with a .351 average and has hit over .300 each of the last five seasons.

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