The mystery of whether Roberto Clemente was an angel entails much evidence that he was, and that many people perceive him as one.
His teammate Manny Sanguillen, who helped search for Clemente after his plane carrying relief supplies to Nicaragua had crashed (Clemente's body was never found), said the following:
| “ | He was an honest man who helped the poor, not only of Nicaragua but everywhere. He’s in heaven because in my eyes, Roberto was an angel that God placed here on this earth not only to play baseball, but to help mankind.[1] | ” |
Vera Clemente, his wife, said:
| “ | I still see him sometimes when I am alone. People remember him as a ballplayer, but he was so much more. He was a father, a husband, a wonderful man.[2] | ” |
Roberto Clemente himself said in a televised interview on July 1971, when asked about when he would reach 3,000 hits:
| “ | You never know ... if I'm alive ... You never know because God tells you how long you're gonna be here. So you never know what's gonna happen tomorrow.[3] | ” |
His son observed on April 17, 2025:
| “ | I often say, he was an angel who just happened to play baseball.[4] | ” |