Why Are Baseball Players Wearing 21?

A look at the history behind the number 21 being worn by baseball players and its connection to the great Jackie Robinson.

The number 21 is in honor of the late Roberto Clemente.

Clemente was a Hall of Fame Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder who died tragically in a plane crash on December 31, 1972, while attempting to deliver aid to earthquake victims in Nicaragua. He was just 38 years old. Clemente was one of Major League Baseball’s first Hispanic superstars and remains an icon in the Latin community. He was a 12-time All-Star and won four gold gloves. His 3,000th hit came just days before his death.

Clemente was a right fielder who played 18 seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Clemente was a right fielder who played 18 seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was a 10-time All-Star and won the National League Most Valuable Player award in 1966. He led the Pirates to a World Series title in 1971, and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973.

Clemente died in a plane crash on December 31, 1972, while en route to deliver aid to earthquake victims in Nicaragua. At the time of his death, he was 38 years old and had 2,433 hits. His body was never recovered from the crash site.

In 1973, the Pirates retired Clemente’s jersey number (21) — he was the first Latin American player to be so honored by a Major League team.

He was a 15-time All-Star, won two World Series titles, and was the NL MVP in 1966.

Hall of Famer Willie Mays wore the number 24 throughout his Major League Baseball career. But when he joined the San Francisco Giants coaching staff in 1979, he switched to the number 21 to honor fellow legend Roberto Clemente.

Clemente was a 15-time All-Star, won two World Series titles, and was the NL MVP in 1966. He tragically died in a plane crash while on a relief mission to Nicaragua in December 1972. His body was never recovered. In 1973, baseball Commissioner Bowie Kuhn posthumously awarded Clemente the Commissioner’s Historic Achievement Award.

Mays later explained his decision to wear 21 by saying, “I wanted to wear it as a tribute to Roberto Clemente. He was my hero, and I respected and admired him so much.” In 1997, Major League Baseball retired Clemente’s number across all teams.

Clemente was also a humanitarian, and was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

21 was Roberto Clemente’s number. He was a Hall of Fame right fielder who played 18 seasons for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was a 15-time All-Star and led the Pirates to a World Series title in 1971. Clemente died in a plane crash on December 31, 1972, while attempting to deliver aid to earthquake victims in Nicaragua. He was posthumously inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973.

Clemente was also a humanitarian, and was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In April 1973, Major League Baseball created the Roberto Clemente Award to honor his memory and recognize players who display sportsmanship and community involvement.

Clemente died in a plane crash while delivering supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua.

Clemente died in a plane crash while delivering supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua. Since his death, Major League Baseball has honored Clemente by retiring his jersey number, 21, across all teams. In 1997, Clemente was posthumously inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

His number was retired by the Pirates, and Major League Baseball created the Roberto Clemente Award in his honor.

21 is the number that was worn by Roberto Clemente, the Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder who died tragically in a plane crash while attempting to deliver supplies to victims of an earthquake in Nicaragua. His number was retired by the Pirates, and Major League Baseball created the Roberto Clemente Award in his honor.

The number 21 is also worn by other players in honor of Clemente, including Alex Rodriguez, Ichiro Suzuki, and Albert Pujols.

The number 21 was retired by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1973, just two years after Roberto Clemente’s untimely death. Clemente, aHall of Fame outfielder, was one of the best players of his generation and is considered one of the greatest players of all time. He died in a plane crash while on a humanitarian mission to deliver supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua.

The number 21 is also worn by other players in honor of Clemente, including Alex Rodriguez, Ichiro Suzuki, and Albert Pujols. These players all share a connection to Clemente either through nationality (Pujois and Rodriguez are both from the Dominican Republic) or admiration for his career (Ichiro is one of the best hitters of his generation).