Roberto had a close circle of friends, and perhaps the single closest in America was Phil Dorsey, a black man from Pittsburgh who played a number of vital roles for Roberto, from valet to babysitter. They met early in his days as a Pirate, and he set Roberto up with a place to stay with Stanley and Mamie Garland, who he would come to love dearly as his stateside “parents.”

A few days after the crash of Roberto’s plane, Phil was sitting outside the house with Luis Mayoral, another close friend of Roberto’s. They were in Luis’s car, watching folks coming and going to pay their respects and offer condolence to Vera. It was deep into the night, and Phil told a story about the number 21.

When Clemente was a rookie, his jersey was emblazoned with #13. If there could be an opposite number to 21, it may well be 13. Where 21 is elegant and subtle in its associations, 13 is crude and ugly, associated with a silly complex of superstitions and “bad luck.”

Earl Smith holds a place in baseball history as the player who wore 21 before Clemente, and he certainly didn’t have much luck in his brief time as a Pirate. Over the course of five games and exactly 21 plate appearances, Earl only hit the ball once, so he was sent back to the Minor Leagues. The number was given to Roberto, and an icon was born.