Mookie Betts and Kiké Hernández wore No. 21 Los Angeles Dodgers jerseys against the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday night as part of Major League Baseball celebrating Roberto Clemente Day, which is observed every Sept. 15.
MLB permits nominees and previous recipients of the Roberto Clemente Award to wear a No. 21 jersey, and Betts was the winner of last year’s honor. Puerto Rican natives are also allowed to wear the number in honor of Clemente, which Hernández again took advantage of.
Will Smith is the Dodgers’ nominee for this year’s Roberto Clemente Award, and while he did not play in the team’s 4-0 win over the Reds, it also appears he didn’t elect to wear No. 21. Both Betts’ and Hernández’s transaction pages listed them as wearing the number, while Smith’s page still showed him wearing his usual No. 16.
Betts went 0-for-4 with a strikeout against the Reds. Hernández, like Smith, did not appear in the Dodgers’ victory.
The Roberto Clemente Award is presented annually in recognition of the Major League player who best represents the game of baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions, both on and off the field.
The concept of honoring Major League players for their philanthropic work was created in 1971 as the “Commissioner’s Award.” The recognition was renamed to the “Roberto Clemente Award” in 1973 as tribute to Clemente following his passing while delivering relief supplies for earthquake victims in Nicaragua on Dec. 31, 1972.
“I was obviously too young to remember Roberto Clemente, but from the people that I respect and what he was as a person, certainly supersedes what he was as a ballplayer, which says a lot,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said on SportsNet LA.
“Just unfortunately way too young. It’s very cool that young players, current players, understand who Roberto Clemente was and they have that award every year. It’s a big feather in everyone’s cap. Baseball is certainly better with Roberto Clemente.
“I met his family in Pittsburgh, so that was pretty cool. Been to the Roberto Clemente museum in Pittsburgh, which was great for me as well.”
How to vote Will Smith for Roberto Clemente Award
Fans can now vote for the Roberto Clemente Award winner via MLBTogether.com/clementeaward (in both English and Spanish). Fan voting extends through the final day of the regular season on Sunday, Sept. 27. The winner of the fan vote will count as one vote among those cast by the blue-ribbon panel.
The league-wide winner of the Roberto Clemente Award will be honored at the 2026 World Series following selection by the aforementioned panel. It includes representatives from the commissioner’s office, Capital One, MLB-affiliated networks (MLB Network, FOX Sports, ESPN and TBS), MLB.com, National Baseball Hall of Fame, as well as Roberto’s children, Enrique, Luis and Roberto Clemente, Jr.
Smith is looking to become the fifth player in Dodgers franchise history to win the honor. Previous recipients include Betts (2025), Justin Turner (2022), Clayton Kershaw (2012) and Steve Garvey (1981).
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