All Puerto Rican players can wear 21 on Clemente Day – By AP News Staff (AP News) / Sept 8 2020
NEW YORK (AP) — All Puerto Rican players will be allowed to wear No. 21 on Wednesday during Major League Baseball’s Roberto Clemente Day celebration.
The move to wear the number, similar to MLB’s celebration of Jackie Robinson’s No. 42 each April 15, started with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Roberto Clemente Jr., son of the late Hall of Famer, said he received a text from Pirates third base coach Joey Cora on July 29 at the behest of Pittsburgh manager Derek Shelton, asking whether all Pirates players could wear the number on Sept. 9.
“We are very, very fortunate that someone took that initiative, and it was Derek Shelton and Joey, a very proud Puerto Rican who has always been there pushing the envelope inside,” Clemente Jr. said Monday. “There was some pushback, but the players’ association and the players really thought it would be great.”
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