The greatest Puerto Rican MLB player of all time needs no introduction.
Finally, you have Roberto Clemente, the greatest Puerto Rican player of all time. As I mentioned in a prior piece, my feeling is that this day shouldn’t be limited to players from PR. Clemente is a god in Latin America altogether.
Clemente played 18 seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates and accumulated one of the most impressive stats sheets in the history of the game. Among his greatest individual accomplishments are two 200+ H seasons, a league-leading 13 3B in 1969, FOUR batting titles, and an MVP award in 1966.
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If he were alive today, however, I’m sure his proudest accomplishment on the field is having TWO World Series rings, especially being crowned the 1971 World Series MVP.
For his career, Clemente was selected to 15 All-Star games and has 12 Gold Glove awards.
On this day, we honor Roberto Clemente, not because of his accomplishments on the ballfield, however. It’s because of his actions off the field. After a deadly earthquake struck Nicaragua, Clemente organized a relief effort from his home in Puerto Rico.En route to deliver relief supplies to victims of this earthquake, the plan Clemente was on crashed, ending the legend’s life far too soon.
Also in his honor, the Roberto Clemente Award was created. It is awarded to a player who embodies Clemente’s selfless nature. On a day like today, all Latino players should be allowed to wear No. 21.