On Roberto Clemente Day, MLB Will Honor 50th Anniversary Of His Passing

By Barry Janoff

September 8, 2022: MLB today unveiled enhanced plans to celebrate and commemorate the legacy of Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente, centered around the annual Roberto Clemente Day and what is considered to be baseball’s most prestigious individual honor, the Roberto Clemente Award.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Clemente’s untimely death at the age of 38 in a plane crash on New Year’s Eve 1972 while attempting to deliver supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua.

MLB established Sept. 15 as Roberto Clemente Day in 2002 to honor his legacy both on and off the field.

Capital One is the first and has been the only presenting sponsor of both Roberto Clemente Day and the Roberto Clemente Award, established in 2015.

Clemente played his entire 18-season MLB career with the Pittsburgh Pirates, winning two World Series (1960, 1971), four NL batting titles and the 1966 NL MVP Award.

Clemente is just one of three players in MLB history to be honored on an annual basis, along with Jackie Robinson (April 15) and Lou Gehrig (June 2).

Activation includes a video tribute, “Momentito,” to air in English and Spanish in-stadiums and on MLB Network and social media platforms; all players and on-field personnel wearing Clemente’s Pirates uniform No. 21 patch on their uniform sleeves; and the Roberto Clemente Day presented by Capital One logo appearing on base jewels and official dugout lineup cards.

All MLB clubs will have social media content celebrating Clemente and also recognizing his wife, Vera Clemente, who served as a MLB Goodwill Ambassador before passing away in 2019.

There is a planned gathering of active (if available) and retired players who are Roberto Clemente Award winners n New York to participate in a food packaging volunteer event with Rise Against Hunger at Citi Field, where the Mets are playing the Pirates that evening.

Past winners include Albert Pujols, Derek Jeter, Jimmy Rollins, Ozzie Smith, Rod Carew, Curtis Granderson and Nelson Cruz.

MLB Network’s MLB Tonight will air live from Citi Field.

In addition to activation plans, MLB today also unveiled the nominees for the 2022 Roberto Clemente Award.

This list of nominees features players — one from each team nominated by their respective clubs — whose “various community and philanthropic activities have focused on important causes.”

They include supporting underserved children and communities in the U.S. and around the world, supporting those with cancer and other illnesses, advocating for social justice initiatives and environmental advocacy.

The league-wide winner of the Roberto Clemente Award presented by Capital One will be selected via a blue ribbon panel.

The panel includes MLB commissioner Manfred, representatives from Capital One; MLB-affiliated networks (MLB Network, Fox Sports, ESPN and TBS), MLB.com; and Roberto’s children, Enrique, Luis and Roberto Clemente, Jr.

Beginning today thru Oct. 5, people can vote for the Roberto Clemente Award presented by Capital One in English or Spanish.

Among his achievements, Clemente recorded his 3,000th career hit late in the 1972 season, becoming at the time just the 11th player in MLB history to reach the milestone.
 
He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1973 in a special election that waived the mandatory five-year waiting period.

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