Roberto Clemente Rookie 1955 Pittsburgh Pirates Signed Baseball PSA DNA

Presented is an Official National league ball (Warren Giles) signed by the 1955 Pittsburgh Pirates with the autograph of rookie Roberto Clemente. Autographs (28) include: Roberto Clemente (HOF) – signed as “Bob Clemente” on a panel. (SS) Fred Haney – manager, and Frank Thomas. On the panels: Dick Groat (who also played in the NBA), Sid Gordon, Curt Roberts (first African American player on Pittsburgh), Clyde Sukeforth (coach, and the scout who recommended Jackie Robinson to the Brooklyn Dodgers), Gene Freese, George Freese, Jerry Lynch, Elroy Face, Bob Skinner, Bob Purkey, Max Surkont, Ben Wade, and many more. Former Brooklyn executive Branch Rickey was running the Pirates, and this 1955 club shows the Dodger influence in coach Clyde Sukeforth, Ben Wade and Clemente – who was obtained from the Brooklyn farm system. Clemente wound up his career with exactly 3,000 hits. He died while on a plane flight mission on December 31, 1972, to fly supplies to victims of an earthquake in Nicaragua. The autographs are on an EX-MT Official National League ball (Warren Giles). The signatures, signed in blue ballpoint are really nice. Comes with PSA LOA.

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