MLB to allow Puerto Rican players to wear No. 21 in celebration of Roberto Clemente Day
MLB has granted permission to Puerto Rican players to wear No. 21 as part of Roberto Clemente Day celebrations on Wednesday, and all players will be allowed to wear a patch with the number to honor the legacy of the late Pittsburgh Pirates Hall of Fame right fielder.
The Pirates announced last week that every player and coach will wear No. 21 for Wednesday’s game against the Chicago White Sox at PNC Park, marking the first time a Pirates player has worn the number since Clemente’s death in a plane crash on New Year’s Eve 1972 while delivering relief supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua.
“I think it’s extremely impactful for not only our players but for all players to realize you know, not only with Clemente the player but Clemente the person and the humanitarian,” said Pirates manager Derek Shelton, who led the push for the team to wear No. 21 on Roberto Clemente Day. “In the society we are in today and how we have a forum to help people and this guy is one of the greatest humanitarians to ever play the game.
“It’s why the award is named after him, that they give to the baseball player who does it. I think it’s extremely important for the Pirates, I think it’s extremely important for the island of Puerto Rico, I think it’s extremely important for Major League Baseball, for us to educate who he was, what he stood for and how he went about it.”
ESPN reported that St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina, the longest-tenured active Puerto Rican player in the majors, will wear No. 21 for Tuesday’s doubleheader against the Minnesota Twins because both teams are off on Wednesday.
“It is an extraordinary honor and a source of great pride for all of us to have the opportunity to wear No. 21 to honor Roberto Clemente on this great day,” Molina told ESPN. “For all us Latinos who have played Major League Baseball, and have had to deal with so many obstacles, difficulties and challenges, Clemente is the source of inspiration we need to move forward and pursue our dreams and be an example to others on and off the field.”
Kevin Gorman is a TribLive reporter covering the Pirates. A Baldwin native and Penn State graduate, he joined the Trib in 1999 and has covered high school sports, Pitt football and basketball and was a sports columnist for 10 years. He can be reached at kgorman@triblive.com.
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