Thursday was Roberto Clemente Day throughout Major League Baseball.
With the Pittsburgh Pirates — Clemente’s previous workforce — on the town for a nationally televised sport, the Mets and Pirates had been the one groups within the league to have each participant put on Clemente’s iconic quantity 21 on their backs. Every MLB workforce had a 21 patch on their jerseys on Thursday and Puerto Rican gamers in addition to previous nominees for the Roberto Clemente Award had been additionally permitted to put on 21 as an alternative of their common quantity.
“It’s still sad to think about how he passed,” Buck Showalter stated earlier than the sport. “But, it’s a great thing that baseball is doing.”
The supervisor additionally talked about that a number of of the Mets’ gamers visited the Roberto Clemente Museum when the workforce was in Pittsburgh earlier this month. He additionally stated that the big day barely impacted his managerial choices for Thursday.
“I was going to DH [Francisco] Lindor today until I reminded myself what tonight’s about,” Showalter stated. “I thought he would want to be on the field, which he does.”
In addition to the particular Clemente tribute on the sphere, the Mets additionally hosted a number of former winners of the Clemente Award for a pregame press convention. The award is given every year to a participant who finest represents the sport by means of extraordinary character, neighborhood involvement, philanthropy and constructive contributions, each on and off the sphere. Each workforce nominates a participant, with the winner introduced in the course of the World Series.
Past winners Al Leiter, Carlos Delgado, Curtis Granderson, Jim Thome, Steve Garvey, Harold Reynolds and Dave Winfield had been at Citi Field on Thursday to speak in regards to the significance of the award.
“It’s hard to put it into words,” stated Delgado. “As a Puerto Rican kid growing up, you say, ‘We’re going to the Roberto Clemente Arena, or the Roberto Clemente Ballpark or Roberto Clemente Street. It’s super important, and I couldn’t be any happier today.”
Garvey was within the Dominican Republic when Clemente’s aircraft went down.
“When the word got out, I thought to myself as a relatively young person, what [Clemente] did was truly the ultimate sacrifice and a sacrifice of trying to help others,” Garvey recalled. “I said to myself, ‘I’m going to figure out how I can make a difference also.’”
“I played winter ball in Puerto Rico in 1985,” Reynolds added. “I got the full impact of Roberto Clemente. If you go to Puerto Rico, like Carlos was talking about, they might as well rename the whole island. Everything is about Roberto, but you start to learn the story of the man.”
“I came in the league in 1973,” Winfield stated. “I knew who Roberto Clemente was and I was going to be a right fielder, so I watched the way he charged that ball, picked it up and threw people out. I wish we could have been able to test each other’s arms! But, he was an incredible player and an even more incredible human being.”
EATING GOOD IN SYRACUSE
Max Scherzer got here out of his Wednesday evening rehab begin feeling nicely, per Showalter.
“He’s good,” Showalter stated. “We’ll see how the work day goes. If everything goes well he’ll pitch on Monday. That’s what I’m hoping. He’s a little disappointed that they didn’t let him finish the fourth inning. What would a trip to Syracuse be without something?”
The greatest information out of the Syracuse clubhouse, although, was the post-game unfold. It’s custom for large leaguers to spoil the minor leaguers with a lavish meal after the sport, however apparently Scherzer went above and past.
“They were talking about the post-game meals. They wanted to know if Max wanted to make another start down there. I guess the meal he got for those guys at the game last night was second to none. Max said it was real expensive. Believe me, I’ve known some people who make a lot of money that didn’t do that.”
PETERSON IN THE PEN
David Peterson will transfer to the bullpen.
After getting steamrolled by the Cubs on Wednesday — Peterson recorded only one out earlier than being pulled — the plan is to have him slide to a bullpen function to accommodate Scherzer’s return.
“Right now we think that he’ll be available in the bullpen on Friday or Saturday,” Showalter stated. “He only threw 29 pitches last night. That was one good thing out of last night, we get him back in the bullpen earlier.”
The final time Peterson pitched out of the bullpen, which got here on July 27 in opposition to the Yankees, he wanted simply eight pitches to blow the Mets’ lead.
“How’s he going to respond?,” Showalter questioned aloud. “If he throws 18 pitches to three hitters, is he going to be able to scratch his rear the next day? I don’t know.”
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Source: www.bostonherald.com