<Tr> <Th> Induction </Th> <Td> 1973 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Vote </Th> <Td> 92.7% (first ballot) </Td> </Tr> <P> Roberto Enrique Clemente Walker (Spanish pronunciation: (roˈβeɾto enˈrike kleˈmente (g) walˈkeɾ); August 18, 1934--December 31, 1972) was a Puerto Rican professional baseball right fielder who played 18 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates . He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973, becoming both the first Latin American and Caribbean player to be enshrined . His untimely death established the precedent that, as an alternative to the five - year retirement period, a player who has been deceased for at least six months is eligible for entry into the Hall of Fame . </P> <P> Clemente was an All - Star for twelve seasons, playing in fifteen All - Star Games . He was the NL Most Valuable Player in 1966, the NL batting leader in 1961, 1964, 1965, and 1967, and a Gold Glove Award winner for twelve consecutive seasons from 1961 through 1972 . His batting average was over . 300 for thirteen seasons and he had 3,000 hits during his major league career . He also played in two World Series championships . Clemente is the first Latin American and Caribbean player to help win a World Series as a starter (1960), to receive an NL MVP Award (1966), and to receive a World Series MVP Award (1971). </P>

Who is the first hispanic player voted into baseball's hall of fame