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.
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.
“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.
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.
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.