Rangers, MLB honor late Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente with uniform patch, jersey numbers (2024)

CLEVELAND — As part of Roberto Clemente Day — established by MLB to honor the late Hall of Famer and humanitarian — the Texas Rangers and teams across the league showed their respect for his legacy on Friday.

Rangers players wore a patch honoring Clemente vs. the Cleveland Guardians, while select players — those who’ve either won or been nominated for the Roberto Clemente Award and players from Latin American counties — had the option to wear No. 21 on their jerseys.

Rangers starting pitchers Jon Gray (the club’s 2023 Clemente Award nominee) and Nathan Eovaldi (a 2021 nominee) wore No. 21, as well as Ezequiel Duran, Leody Taveras and Jose Leclerc.

“It’s an honor, and I do it with pleasure to honor Roberto Clemente,” Duran said through an interpreter on Friday. “You can’t even begin the imagine the honor and passion we feel for him, for that number and for what he’s meant for our community.”

Clemente, a native of Puerto Rico, was a 15-time All-Star with the Pittsburgh Pirates and is considered one of the best Latin American baseball players of all time. He died at age 38 in 1972 when a plane he was on carrying relief aid to Nicaragua after an earthquake crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Puerto Rico.

Since 1973, MLB has awarded the Roberto Clemente Award to the player who “best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement and the individual’s contribution to his team.” A Rangers player has never won the award.

“We all know what a great player he was, Hall of Famer, but he’s so revered by everybody in baseball,” Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said. “In particular, by Latino players for what he did for all of them. It inspired so many of them, I think, to play the game.”

On Twitter/X: @McFarland_Shawn

Find more Rangers coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.