Mookie Betts wore a No. 21 Los Angeles Dodgers jersey against the Atlanta Braves on Sunday as part of MLB celebrating Roberto Clemente Day (every Sept. 15) and due to being a nominee for the award in the Hall of Famer’s namesake.
While all on-field personnel wore a Roberto Clemente jersey patch for games played Friday and Saturday, MLB permits nominees and previous recipients of the award to wear a 21 jersey. Puerto Rican natives also are allowed to wear No. 21 in honor of Clemente.
That meant the Dodgers had three players wearing the No. 21 on Sunday as it is Walker Buehler’s jersey number as well, and Kiké Hernández also had it on. Buehler took the mound and recorded his first quality start since May 31, allowing two runs (one earned) on three hits in six innings of work.
Betts went 1-for-5 with a go-ahead RBI single as part of the Dodgers’ seven-run ninth inning. He later came around to score on Freddie Freeman’s RBI single before back-to-back-to-back home runs by Teoscar Hernández, Tommy Edman and Max Muncy broke the game open.
Betts is a Roberto Clemente Award nominee for the first time in his career and will be honored during a pregame ceremony at Dodger Stadium before the Dodgers play the Colorado Rockies on Friday, Sept. 20.
“It’s super special. Anytime you’re nominated for any type of award, you did something good,” Betts said.
“This definitely comes with my wife and my cousin Unique. They really do most of the work. I’m just kind of the face and maybe throw some ideas out there here and there. This is definitely shared with them. It’s a blessing.”
The league-wide winner of the Roberto Clemente Award will be honored at the 2024 World Series following following selection by a blue-ribbon panel that includes MLB commissioner Rob Manfred, affiliated networks (MLB Network, FOX Sports, ESPN and TBS), MLB.com, and Clemente’s children, Enrique, Luis and Roberto Clemente Jr.
How to vote Mookie Betts for Roberto Clemente Award
Fans can vote for the Roberto Clemente Award winner on MLBTogether.com/clementeaward (in both English and Spanish) through the end of the regular season on Wednesday, Oct. 5. The winner from fan voting will count as one vote among those cast by the blue ribbon panel.
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