A complete player, Roberto Clemente could run, hit, and throw. He was an All-Star in 13 seasons with four National League batting titles, 12 consecutive Gold Glove Awards, National League MVP in 1966, and MVP of the 1971 World Series. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1973.
On July 10, 2009, at our first Tribute to Latin Baseball, Big Train baseball retired #21 to honor Roberto Clemente. We at Big Train don’t honor him just for his extraordinary accomplishments on the baseball diamond. Clemente, who died in 1972 in a plane crash attempting to deliver relief supplies to victims of an earthquake in Nicaragua, is honored by Major League Baseball with its highest award for humanitarian and community service.
Biographer David Maraniss wrote: “Clemente’s myth arcs… to the future, not the past, to what people hope they can become. His memory is kept alive as a symbol of action and passion, not of reflection and longing. He broke racial and language barriers and achieved greatness and died a hero. That word can be used indiscriminately in the world of sports, but the classic definition is of someone who gives his life in the service of others, and that is exactly what Clemente did.”
In 2022 and 2023, Big Train held our first Roberto Clemente Community Service Days. In 2022, 80 Big Train players, staff, and fans volunteered at seven community nonprofits. In 2023, more than 100 of us volunteered at six local organizations. We hope to use our service day to showcase to Montgomery County youth the value of community service.
We hope our annual Roberto Clemente Service Day will become a model for baseball organizations at all levels across the country. And we hope Major League Baseball will follow our lead and retire #21!
