Statue of Roberto Clemente To Go Up in Cranberry Park: Report

CRANBERRY, PA — A wooden statue of Roberto Clemente, the legendary Pittsburgh Pirates baseball player, will soon be raised in a park in Cranberry, according to a media report. The 7-foot-tall carving of the Hall of Fame player was created by Ken Tynan, a local chain saw artist, the Cranberry Eagle reported.

The piece will be unveiled in Graham Park as soon as a pedestal is built for it, possibly by next month, according to the Eagle.

The Cranberry Township Community Chest commissioned the statue of Clemente last year, as part of a project to resurface the Miracle League of Southwestern Pennsylvania baseball field in the park.

Tynan said he grew up watching Clemente play at Forbes Field, and he committed 200 to 300 hours to the carving, the Eagle reported.

Born in Puerto Rico, Clemente played for 18 seasons for the Pirates, earning All-Star honors in 12 seasons and the National League's Most Valuable Payer Award in 1966. He died in 1972 in a plane crash while delivering relief supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua, and he was voted into Major League Baseball's Hall of Fame in 1973.

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