The Los Angeles Dodgers will acknowledge first baseman Adrian Gonzalez as their nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award at tonight’s game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Dodger Stadium.
Today is Major League Baseball’s 15th annual Roberto Clemente Day, established to honor the Hall of Fame outfielder’s legacy and officially acknowledge team nominees for the Roberto Clemente Award.
The award is annually given to the player “who best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement and the individual’s contribution to his team.”
Gonzalez was nominated for the third time as a Dodger and fifth overall. He was selected for his work through the Adrian and Betsy Gonzalez Foundation, which awards college scholarships, provides tickets to Dodger games for underprivileged youths and their families and renovates baseball fields in his native Tijuana.
Fans can vote for the award winner on social media for the first time by posting hashtags to Twitter and Facebook. The hashtag for Gonzalez is #VoteAdrian. The deadline to vote is Oct. 2.
Major League Baseball established Seat 21 for this year’s Roberto Clemente Day, a designated seat in each stadium dedicated to a well-known or local hero who will be recognized in addition to the club Clemente Award nominee. Los Angeles Police Department Senior Lead Officer Gina Chovan is the Dodgers Seat 21 honoree.
Clemente wore 21 during his major league career, all spent with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was killed in a plane crash on New Year’s Eve 1972 while attempting to deliver supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua.
Clemente was signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1954 and assigned to their Montreal International League affiliate, where his teammates included future Dodger manager Tommy Lasorda. He was drafted by the Pirates in the 1954 Rule 5 draft.
