1964 – Roberto Clemente: “Step In Bucket Saves My Back.” Taking advantage of an off-day in the Pirates’ schedule, the Associated Press collars Clemente for a brief profile/interview of the National League’s leading hitter, with a particular focus on the peculiarities of his batting style. One genuine scoop emerges, Clemente’s own explanation for his distinctive and dramatic step away from the plate or, as they say, “into the bucket.” While his early tendency to bail out had been corrected in Puerto Rico in 1952 by Santurce’s player/manager Buster Clarkson [“He put a bat behind my left foot and made sure I didn’t drag my foot”], the subsequent seeming resurrection of this habit occurs in response to the damage to Clemente’s spine sustained in a December 1954 automobile accident and aggravated almost exactly two years later by a violent swing and miss during winter ball. “In 1956 I was doing good until I hurt my back,” Clemente recalls. “Since then I step to the side with my left foot faster so I don’t have to twist my body so much.”

On August 10, 1964 — 1964 – Roberto Clemente: “Step In Bucket Saves My Back.” Taking advantage of an off-day in the Pirates’ schedule, the Associated Press collars Clemente for a brief profile/interview of the National League’s leading hitter, with a particular focus on the peculiarities of his batting style. One genuine scoop emerges, Clemente’s own explanation for his distinctive and dramatic step away from the plate or, as they say, “into the bucket.” While his early tendency to bail out had been corrected in Puerto Rico in 1952 by Santurce’s player/manager Buster Clarkson [“He put a bat behind my left foot and made sure I didn’t drag my foot”], the subsequent seeming resurrection of this habit occurs in response to the damage to Clemente’s spine sustained in a December 1954 automobile accident and aggravated almost exactly two years later by a violent swing and miss during winter ball. “In 1956 I was doing good until I hurt my back,” Clemente recalls. “Since then I step to the side with my left foot faster so I don’t have to twist my body so much.”

Source:
Baseball Reference August 10
National Pastime
Retro Sheet
Hall of Fame
SABR Games Project
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