A lawmaker out of New York City wants the Secretary of the Treasury to mint commemorative coins in honor of Pittsburgh Pirates legend Roberto Clemente.
U.S. Representative Adriano Espaillat, the first Dominican American to serve in Congress introduced Roberto Clemente Commemorative Coin Act earlier this month.
He wants Clemente’s “life and legacy” commemorated.
“Clemente was a legend in life and death, a baseball star, a humanitarian activist, and a symbol of Latin American pride,” the legislation reads.
Local Congressmen Chris Deluzio and Guy Reschenthaler are also mentioned in the legislation.
“A member of the Baseball Hall of Fame, Roberto Clemente was a pioneer for Latinos in baseball,” Espaillat wrote on X (formally Twitter).
The treasury would mint a limited quantities of $5 gold coins, $1 silver coins and half-dollar coins.
Two-thirds of the House would need to approve the legislation.
If it passed, It would join the commemorative coin program which has produced coins honoring Negro League Baseball, Apollo 11, Mark Twain, Lewis & Clark and most recently Harriet Tubman.
Proceeds from the coin would go to the Roberto Clemente Foundation.
Clemente played 18 seasons for the Pirates between 1955 and 1972, recording exactly 3,000 hits.
He died on New Year's Eve 1972 in a plane crash as he was on a humanitarian mission to Nicaragua. He was 38 years old.
Roberto Clemente Day is celebrated in the MLB every September 15.
Players of Latin decent, those that have won the Roberto Clemente Award and the Pittsburgh Pirates wear #21 on the day.
Some have called for #21 to be retired across the league, just like Jackie Robinson’s #42.