Today -- Wednesday 9 September -- is Roberto Clemente's Day in Major League Baseball (MLB). All players of the Pittsburgh Pirates, the only team Clemente played for during his MLB career, will wear his 21 jersey number for the occasion.
MLB also gave the option to all big league players born in Puerto Rico the option to wear number 21 jersey in today's games.
Clemente died tragically on 31 December 1972 in an airplane crash off the coast of Puerto Rico. He was flying to Nicaragua to bring aid to the population hurt by the 23 December earthquake.
Clemente had visited Nicaragua during the Amateur World Series, the future IBAF World Cup, that finished on 5 December. He was the manager of the Puerto Rico National Team.
Following the tragic accident, the Nicaraguan National Team put Clemente's number 21 on their uniform sleeve.
Clemente was born in 1934 and made his MLB debut in 1965. He helped the Pirates win the World Series in 1960 and 1971, when he was named MVP. He was voted the National League MVP in 1966. He has a career batting average of .317, exactly 3,000 hits and 240 home runs. He won 12 gold gloves as an outfielder.
Clemente was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973. The Pirates retired his number in 1999.
The first Roberto Clemente Day was observed in 2002.
The Roberto Clemente Award has been given annually since 1971 to the Major League Baseball (MLB) player who "best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement and the individual's contribution to his team," as voted on by baseball fans and members of the media.
