To Pirates catcher Michael Perez, wearing No. 21 'very special'

Michael Perez listened to his grandfather tells stories about watching Roberto Clemente play for the Pittsburgh Pirates, so the idea of wearing No. 21 for the same organization was unimaginable.

As the lone Puerto Rican player on the Pirates, the 28-year-old catcher savored the opportunity to don the number on his jersey Wednesday in baseball’s celebration of Roberto Clemente Day.

“Wearing No. 21 in this organization where he played a lot of years is very special to me,” Perez said. “I’ve heard a lot about Roberto Clemente from my grandpa. It’s very special to us because he was a legend for us. He was like Jackie Robinson on our island. It means a lot because he helped a lot of people. I’m grateful to wear it.”

MLB has granted permission to the Pirates players and coaches, all Puerto Rican players and the 30 Roberto Clemente Award nominees and six active past winners to wear No. 21 on Roberto Clemente Day. All players, managers and coaches throughout the game will wear a 21 patch to commemorate the Hall of Fame right fielder, and Sept. 15 will become the official date to celebrate Clemente in perpetuity.

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 the Pirates’ 15-time All-Star, 12-time Gold Glove winner and NL and World Series MVP 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.

The Pirates wore Clemente’s number last year for the first time since the 1972 season, when he recorded his 3,000th hit. Perez was one of 20 major-league players to wear No. 21 last season, when he played for the Tampa Bay Rays.

“I have the jersey in my house,” said Perez, a native of Catano, P.R. “It’s very special thing to me. It means a lot, knowing his history, with the way he played on the field and how he helped the community on the island in Puerto Rico and in Latin America.”

Michael Pérez wears #21 to honor Roberto Clemente! @TriciaWhitaker shares more.

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The visiting Cincinnati Reds also had three players wearing No. 21. First baseman Joey Votto is the Reds’ Roberto Clemente Award nominee. Reliever Mychal Givens will honor the Puerto Rican heritage of his great-grandparents.

“It’s going to be a very happy moment for me, growing up on the Puerto Rican side with my great-grandparents,” said Givens, a native of Tampa. “My great grandfather, it’s going to be a tribute to him, who got me into baseball and always gave me the stories of Roberto Clemente growing, being one of my idols, along with Jackie Robinson.”

Reds pitcher/outfielder Michael Lorenzen already wears No. 21 in honor of Clemente. Lorenzen wore No. 50 as a rookie but changed his number after meeting the Clemente family while visiting Puerto Rico on a mission trip for a baseball camp and clinic.

“We were at his house, actually. Vera Clemente, his wife, made us food and we were eating and looking at some cool stuff he used to wear. I thought to myself, it would be so cool to wear No. 21 to honor Roberto Clemente. It would be awesome,” Lorenzen said. “Then we traded Todd Frazier (who wore No. 21) a couple weeks later. Right when that happened, I was like, ‘Wow. I’m going to ask for the number.’ I remember sitting around the table and saying, ‘If I get the chance, do you mind if I wear No. 21 in honor of Roberto?’ (Vera) loved the idea.”

Count Lorenzen among the growing number of major-league players who voiced their support of MLB retiring Clemente’s No. 21, as it has Robinson’s No. 42.

“I think something towards that should happen,” Lorenzen said. “If it is retired, that would be a great honor to the family, for sure. He gave his life trying to help people. We need to put that on a pedestal because it’s something that’s extremely admirable. It cut his career short. He had an amazing career and could have had a longer career.”