ESPN: MLB to allow Pirates, Puerto Rican players, award nominees to wear No. 21 on Roberto Clemente Day

MLB has granted permission to the 30 Roberto Clemente Award nominees and six active past winners, along with the Pittsburgh Pirates and all Puerto Rican players, to wear No. 21 on the 20th Roberto Clemente Day, according to ESPN.

ESPN also reported that Sept. 15 will be announced as the official date to honor Roberto Clemente Day every year. All players, managers and coaches will wear a 21 patch to commemorate the legendary Pirates Hall of Fame right fielder.

The Pirates announced Tuesday that catcher Jacob Stallings is the team’s nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award, presented to the major league player who “best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement and the individual’s contribution to his team.”

Originally known as the Commissioner’s Award, it has been presented by the MLB since 1971 but was renamed the Roberto Clemente Award in 1973 after he died in a plane crash on New Year’s Eve 1972 off the coast of his native Puerto Rico while delivering relief supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua.

“Jacob embodies the spirit of The Great One in the way he carries himself and how he represents our organization on and off the field,” Pirates chairman Bob Nutting said in a statement. “The Roberto Clemente Award is very special to the Pirates, and we are incredibly proud of Jacob and all of the 2021 nominees.”

The Pirates wore Clemente’s number last year for the first time since the 1972 season, when the 15-time All-Star, 12-time Gold Glove winner and 1966 NL MVP and 1971 World Series MVP recorded his 3,000th hit. The Clemente family has pushed for MLB to retire Clemente’s No. 21 as it did Jackie Robinson’s No. 42, likening his trailblazer status for Latin American players to that of Robinson breaking the color barrier for Black players.

Wednesday’s game against the Cincinnati Reds will mark the first time the Pirates will wear No. 21 in front of fans at PNC Park, as none were permitted to attend games last year because of the covid-19 pandemic. Pirates manager Derek Shelton called it a “special day for the Pirates and for baseball and the Clemente family.”

“I think we 100% made a statement,” Shelton said after the 8-1 loss to the Chicago White Sox. “The fact of being able to honor Clemente, seeing all the 21s out there and being able to make a statement not only in Pittsburgh but in Puerto Rico and for baseball. This is a monumental step for our organization being able to honor the Clemente family — not just Roberto but Vera also. So yeah, I think we made a really big step forward and it was something very cool to be a part of. Obviously the game didn’t end up the way we wanted but (it) was a monumental night.”