PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – The Pirates honored Roberto Clemente Monday hours before any on-field mention, they honored him where he truly distinguished himself, off the field.
The team did a series of events in the Pittsburgh area as the week started with players and staffers scattered around the region. Clemente’s sons called it ‘the Clemente Way’ as the players felt a duty to continue his work.
“We have a responsibility to carry on his legacy,” said Paul Skenes, the Pirates nominee for the 2025 Roberto Clemente Award. “He made the game better for everybody, across the league.”
“Getting drafted here and seeing the impact he has still to this day. You can see it in the stadium. You can see it walking around Pittsburgh. He has a bridge named after him. There is a reason for that. We have a responsibility to carry on his legacy.”
“I think he’s a really good role model for what a baseball player should be doing off the field,” said Pirates infielder Jared Triolo. “Aside for what he did on the field, the off-field stuff is really good. It leaves an imprint on young guys when they come up to the Pirates, this is how it should be done.”
And that starts in the minor leagues, they had players from across their minor league system in Pittsburgh on Monday to participate. Clemente’s legacy is something they teach from the beginning. It’s important to the organization to honor ‘The Great One’.
“That’s the first thing we hear when we sign, about how good of a human being he was,” said High A Greensboro pitcher Connor Wietgrefe, who said they did a bunch of events this season in North Carolina. “They take us through the (Clemente) museum to educate us on how good of a human he was and his whole story when we sign. It’s truly special that someone that special played for the Pirates, it’s really cool.”
“It’s impossible to not feel his impact, driving home off the Clemente Bridge,” said Pirates catcher Henry Davis. “How many people remember him for his impact off the field as opposed to on the field? The fact that it’s even close. If someone said it’s a coin flip, it would be an incredibly impressive accomplishment.”
“They have a role in society and when they understand that this is the way, we call it the ‘Clemente Way’, it’s when they have reached a peak of truly understanding that they are here for a purpose,” said Roberto’s son Luis Clemente. “Today it is showing.”
“We got a legacy to uphold, certainly,” Davis said. “I’m just doing anything I can to make sure everybody is on the same page not only with the person we are representing, but the city as well.”
“This is a responsibility that we have,” Skenes said. “Major League Baseball players, it’s a crazy platform that we have to do good. We have a responsibility to use our platform for good.
There is more work to be done.”
Skenes and veterans
A former player at the Air Force Academy, Skenes immediately became involved in veteran’s causes when he joined the Pirates last year. He feels strongly about supporting those who served in our armed forced and are first-responders.
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“It’s greater than anything we could pay them back for,” Skenes said. “There is never enough we can do. They are raising their right hand and swearing an oath to die for their country if they need to. That is something that is unbelievably weighty that you can’t understand unless you do it.”
“We can never do enough for them.”