Why did Aaron Judge, Juan Soto & others wear No. 21 jerseys on Sept. 15? All you need to know
On Sunday, Aaron Judge, Juan Soto and several other New York Yankees stars entered the field wearing jerseys without their usual numbers.
Sept. 15 is a special day for Major League Baseball, as it's Roberto Clemente Day. MLB players wore No. 21, Clemente's iconic number, to honor the Hall of Famer.
Along with Judge and Soto, several other players paid tribute to Clemente. Anthony Rizzo, Marcus Stroman, Giancarlo Stanton and Jose Trevino also had Clemente's number on their backs.
Clemente, who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates throughout his career, won two World Series, defeating the New York Yankees in 1960 and the Baltimore Orioles in 1971. He won the World Series MVP in 1971 and the National League Most Valuable Player award in 1966. Clemente also won 12 straight Gold Glove Awards in his 18-year stint with the Pirates.
The Puerto Rican was also the first player from the Caribbean to win the World Series in a starting position. He is also widely remembered as one of the first players to speak his mother tongue during a live television interview.
Clemente was not only an incredible player but also a great humanitarian. He contributed a huge part of his life to humanitarian causes, delivering aid beyond Latin America to the Caribbean. He also helped people in Nicaragua by collaborating with several organizations for humanitarian missions.
Clemente provided financial aid to people in Puerto Rico and helped thousands of individuals during his time.
Aaron Judge goes deep with a two-run homer on Roberto Clemente Day
Aaron Judge continued his hot streak against the Red Sox at Yankee Stadium. On Roberto Clemente Day, Judge smashed a two-run homer, his 53rd of the season, to lead the Yankees to a 5-2 win.
The Yankees are just a few wins away from clinching the AL East title. With an 87-63 record, the Bronx Bombers will hope to be a huge threat in the playoffs.
Aaron Judge also won the Roberto Clemente Award in 2023, while Justin Turner won the award in 2022.