Thursday, January 09, 2025, 1:25PM |  17°
MENU
Advertisement
Pirates third base coach Joey Cora
1
MORE

For Joey Cora and fellow Puerto Ricans, Clemente Day's meaning reaches deeper

Matt Freed/Post-Gazette

For Joey Cora and fellow Puerto Ricans, Clemente Day's meaning reaches deeper

In the past week or so, when asked about Roberto Clemente, manager Derek Shelton has pointed out how prominent Clemente is in Pittsburgh.

Everywhere he goes, he’s said, the No. 21 is the most common number he sees.

On Wednesday, when the Pirates trot onto the field at PNC Park against the Chicago White Sox on Roberto Clemente Day, they will all be wearing 21, the first time any Pirate will wear the number since Clemente’s last game in 1972, prior to his tragic and untimely passing.

Advertisement

That, in itself, is an honor players and coaches alike take seriously. What third-base coach Joey Cora hoped to make clear last week, when the Pirates announced their intentions to wear the number as a team, was that this is more than an honor for Puerto Ricans like himself.

Pirates right fielder Gregory Polanco heads to the dugout in the middle of the first inning as his team takes on the White Sox on Clemente Day at PNC Park Wednesday.
Jason Mackey
Gregory Polanco on Clemente’s No. 21: ‘I hope they retire it’

“I keep telling [Shelton] how big a deal, how important it is, for us Puerto Ricans what’s happening. It’s impactful,” Cora said last Wednesday. “... I’m telling you, it’s amazing how big it is in Puerto Rico what’s going to happen on Sept. 9. They’re going to show the game on TV. Puerto Rico’s going to be wearing No. 21 Sept. 9. I think it’s a bigger deal than what we thought it was going to be.

“... I cannot tell you how proud I am and how big a deal it is for me and my family and my Puerto Rican fellows that we are going to be wearing No. 21 on Clemente Day.”

Two of Clemente’s sons, Roberto Jr., and Luis, joined Shelton and Cora for the announcement Zoom call, and Roberto Jr., pointed out how happy he was for Cora specifically.

Advertisement

He saw Cora as someone who always had immense pride in his home country, toting the Puerto Rican flag or wearing a rooster, an unofficial Puerto Rican symbol, on his hat.

“You made the point that you were representing our culture, our island, and for you to be the one, that is very special for us, for the family,” Roberto Jr. said, addressing Cora directly. “… It is [Shelton], who is captaining the Pirates, then you’re the first Puerto Rican to wear that number, unlike any other who continues to wear it, a Pirates jersey with 21, you see so many of them.

“But in this particular case, in your case, it’s going to be that much more special. We’re very happy that it’s you because you have represented us in a huge way. That really fills my heart and gets it beating. Of all the greatness that’s going to happen that day, that is you that is wearing it in honor of all the Puerto Ricans.”

On Monday, MLB announced that all Puerto Rican players would be allowed to wear No. 21 on Wednesday. St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina will be one of them, according to ESPN.

Pirates players and coaches lift their caps at the end of the national anthem on Clemente Day.
Jason Mackey
Pirates honor Roberto Clemente but come up short on baseball end

Molina is the longest-tenured Puerto Rican player in the league, but there were 20 total on opening day rosters to start 2020, including Houston Astros shortstop Carlos Correa, Cleveland shortstop Francisco Lindor and Minnesota Twins pitcher Jose Berrios. Dave Martinez and Charlie Montoya, of the Washington Nationals and Toronto Blue Jays, respectively, are the only two managers of Puerto Rican heritage.

All of them can wear 21 on Wednesday.

“We’re very proud,” Roberto Jr. told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Tuesday. “The number represents our identity, our Puerto Rican identity. The guys are very excited. The people in Puerto Rico right now are really so pumped up, excited and proud that this is happening. It’s going to be a great day, a historical day.”

Perhaps it will eventually lead to a retiring of the number full-stop.

For now, though, this is special enough. Cora admitted to having goosebumps just thinking about what it will be like to put on the jersey himself. When Shelton broke the news to him that they would be wearing 21, he said he wanted to cry.

It’s a weighty gesture for baseball in general. For Cora and Puerto Ricans around the league and otherwise, it’s more than that. It’s recognition that their hero’s legacy lives on in the hearts and minds of those playing on his old team and in his old league.

“Wearing No. 21, as a Puerto Rican, as a Pirate, it means a lot. It’s a responsibility on that one, but hopefully I can wear it and make him proud with the fact that I’m wearing it and that we all are,” Cora said. “... I said it before, I know there are people trying to get No. 21 retired. That will be great, don’t get me wrong. But I think No. 21, especially here in Pittsburgh, especially the Puerto Rican players and in Puerto Rico, No. 21 is retired in our hearts. Everybody knows what No. 21 means for us.”

Alford surgery

The Pirates announced on Wednesday morning that outfielder Anthony Alford had right elbow surgery to repair a fractured olecranon at Allegheny General Hospital.

The surgery was performed by Dr. Patrick DeMeo and Dr. Greg Altman.

The Pirates expect Alford, whom they claimed off waivers from Toronto on Aug. 27, to participate in full baseball activities by spring training 2021.

Alford hit .250 (3-for-12) in five games with the Pirates, with one triple, a home run and four RBIs. He was injured this past Saturday when he ran into the outfield wall while chasing a home run.

Mike Persak: mpersak@post-gazette.com and Twitter @MikeDPersak

First Published: September 9, 2020, 1:49 p.m.

RELATED
Pirates left fielder Adam Frazier dives to pull in a ball hit by White Sox designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion.
Jason Mackey
Jason Mackey's Pirates chat transcript: 09.09.20
Early morning rain water ponds up on the base of the Roberto Clemente Statue on the North Shore near PNC Park, Tuesday August 21, 2018, in Pittsburgh.
Ron Cook
Ron Cook: Pirates are giving Roberto Clemente a fitting tribute
Myrtle Bell, Vera Clemente and Josh Bell pose for a picture at the SpringHill Suites on the North Shore in September 2014.
Jason Mackey
How Josh Bell's association with the Clemente family started
Roberto Clemente in 1967.
The Associated Press
All of MLB's Puerto Rican players can wear No. 21 on Roberto Clemente Day
SHOW COMMENTS (0)  
Join the Conversation
Commenting policy | How to Report Abuse
If you would like your comment to be considered for a published letter to the editor, please send it to letters@post-gazette.com. Letters must be under 250 words and may be edited for length and clarity.
Partners
Advertisement
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt (90) in action against Baltimore Ravens offensive tackle Morgan Moses during the first half of an NFL football game, Saturday, Jan. 6, 2024, in Baltimore.
1
sports
'It's been no secret': Steelers' T.J. Watt growing increasingly frustrated without playoff win
Steelers wide receiver George Pickens walks off the field after an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024, in Philadelphia.
2
sports
Brian Batko's Steelers mailbag: Any chance George Pickens is gone this offseason?
Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels runs with the ball against the Dallas Cowboys during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Arlington, Texas.
3
sports
Gerry Dulac's NFL picks: Wild card weekend
Kurt Hinish, left, and his younger brother Donovan compete in everything — board games, cards and fishing when they were younger and now lots of video games.
4
sports
Jason Mackey: Whitehall brothers Donovan, Kurt Hinish will showcase the best of us over 2 playoff games in 3 days
Bouquets of flowers and peanuts are placed at the base of a bust of former President Jimmy Carter at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
5
news
What's closed on the national day of mourning for former U.S. President Jimmy Carter?
Pirates third base coach Joey Cora  (Matt Freed/Post-Gazette)
Matt Freed/Post-Gazette
Advertisement
LATEST sports
Advertisement
TOP
Email a Story