A handful of players across the league, as well as the entire Pittsburgh Pirates team, wore the No. 21 during games on Wednesday as MLB celebrated Roberto Clemente Day.
The impact that Clemente has had on today’s players, especially Puerto Ricans and those of Latin American descent, is immeasurable. The Los Angeles Dodgers have two Puerto Rican players, Kiké Hernandez and Edwin Rios, and they both wore No. 21 in the win over the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Hernandez got the start in left field and had one of his better offensive games of the season, hitting his fourth home run and also driving in another run with a single.
Before the game, he took to social media to describe how it felt to be able to wear Clemente’s number for a night.
Tratando de encontrar palabras para describir lo que siento en este día y creo que palabras no le harían justicia a este sentimiento! Que HONOR y que ORGULLO el poder usar el numero 21 en honor a nuestra leyenda #RobertoClementeDay #Retire21 🇵🇷 pic.twitter.com/IuVb4xtX1r
— Enrique Hernández (@kikehndez) September 9, 2020
Rios didn’t play in the game, but he also was honored to be able to wear No. 21. “It’s special,” he said.
“As a Puerto Rican, you kind of grow up looking up to Roberto Clemente for everything he did and what he stands for. For us to start this movement and be able to wear No. 21 on our backs is something special.”
Clemente was not only one of the greatest baseball players ever, but also one of the best humans as his charity work is well-documented. He lost his life in a plane crash delivering aid to earthquake victims in Nicaragua in 1972.
Rios may not have gotten to see Clemente play, but he still looks at him as a role model.
“I don’t want to say the perfect human, but he put everybody else before himself. He died to take food and clothes to people in Nicaragua,” Rios said. “It’s crazy the type of person he was. If I can be half the person he was, I think I’ll be OK.”
Rios believes No. 21 should be retired throughout baseball
While a number of players wore No. 21 in celebration of Roberto Clemente Day, Rios believes it should be similar to Jackie Robinson Day where every player throughout the league wears it.
“I believe so. But, this is a start. Hopefully in the coming years we’ll be able to have every team wear his number on this day,” he said. “I really do think it should be retired. What Roberto stood for, what he did on the diamond and what he did outside the diamond, can’t compare to anybody else.”
It is easy to see the impact that Clemente has had on the league, especially the Puerto Rican players like Hernandez and Rios. Hopefully MLB can do more to celebrate him in the coming years to pay tribute to one of the best to ever play.
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events and more!
