MLB WORLD SERIES: ASTROS VS BRAVES

October 27, 2021

Luis Clemente

Nelson Cruz

Robert Manfred

Minute Maid Park

Roberto Clemente Award Presentation

THE MODERATOR: Good evening, everyone. My name is Alanna Rizzo from Major League Baseball. It is my honor and privilege to welcome everybody to the official presentation of the most prestigious individual player honor, the Roberto Clemente Award. So thank you so much for being here.

Nelson, congratulations on being this recipient. What a tremendous honor.

The Roberto Clemente Award pays tribute, of course, to the late Hall of Famer's legacy, his achievements and character, by recognizing a Major League player who best represents the game through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy, and positive contributions on and off the field. Certainly, Nelson Cruz embodies and epitomizes that.

Major League Baseball has been recognizing Major League players for their philanthropic work since 1971. This special honor was named the Roberto Clemente Award in 1973, of course, to immortalize the 15-time All-Star after he was lost in a plane crash on New Year's Eve back in 1972, as he was delivering supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua.

The original name of the special recognition was the Commissioner's Award. So it is fitting that I now welcome our commissioner, Rob Manfred, to present the trophy to this year's recipient. Commissioner?

ROBERT MANFRED JR.: Thank you, Alanna. There's one important thing I need to do at the outset. This is the first time that we've presented the Clemente Award in person since Vera Clemente passed. I think it's important to recognize her passing. She was a wonderful ambassador for Major League Baseball, and she did a phenomenal job. I think, Luis, you would agree with me, perpetuating the legacy of your father. She was a great woman, and she will be missed.

Our players do a lot of great things. Some of them are on the field. They provide great entertainment to our fans. But they also do wonderful things off the field. We consider the Clemente Award to be the most prestigious award because it recognizes those off-field philanthropic activities that really make a difference in people's lives.

The nominees this year, when you go through the packages, it's actually a heartening experience because you see all of the different areas that our players are involved in, everything from COVID-19 relief to social justice efforts to environmental projects. I mean, it really is amazing the array of things.

Our winner this year, Nelson Cruz, was a deserving winner among a very, very strong group of nominees. Every community where Nelson has played, he's done good works in that community, but I think the most important of his good works have taken place in his native Dominican Republic.

He's been involved in providing equipment for ambulance corps and firefighting. He supported educational efforts, and he really stepped up during the COVID pandemic. I think it was 1,200 families that he made sure they had adequate economic support and were fed every day.

I mean, when you read what he did over the last 18 months, it's truly unbelievable.

Nelson is actually a milestone winner. He's the 50th winner of the Clemente Award.

Now we're going to play a little game. There's actually been four Minnesota Twins that have won the award now, and Nelson was nominated as a Twin even though he moved on. The other three are Rod Carew, Dave Winfield, and Kirby Puckett. I think you all know what all those three men have in common in addition to winning the Clemente Award. Nelson Cruz, I hope you join that group as well. So congratulations to you.

NELSON CRUZ: Thank you. I appreciate it.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you, Commissioner Manfred. I think you're well on your way, Nelson. I don't have much else to say about that.

Roberto Clemente's legendary spirit has lived on thanks to our next speaker, of course. It is my pleasure to introduce one of Roberto's and Vera's sons, Luis Clemente.

LUIS CLEMENTE: Thank you. It's a great honor to be here representing the family. Commissioner Manfred, thank you for recognizing Mom's efforts and her work. I often say that that light was so bright that it overshadowed her accomplishments as well. So now we have the task to carry on both of their legacies.

She taught us well to continue to keep our father's legacy going in a humble way, and I guess I'm very blessed to say both of my parents were such humanitarians. That's what brings us here today, and recognizing all the great goodwill in MLB, all the players.

One thing I used to tell, Mom used to ask me for support to choose the recipients on the voting, and I said, no, that's all you. It's all you. So she says, please help. I said, no, no, no, you're the one who truly will decide. I mean, it's one vote, but she really took it very seriously, was a very important and prestigious task to be done. I know she would have been so proud of having Nelson join the family.

NELSON CRUZ: Thank you.

LUIS CLEMENTE: Very proud of how many Hispanics, how many Latino players were nominated by the clubs. Dad made sure with his actions he would open the doors and he would show what we have to offer, and our contributions have been totally certified by your actions and all of the other players that have been nominated.

Truly, truly worth naming every single player that was nominated for their actions for what they do, but Nelson, you really took the cake. The people that have benefited from what you have done -- you saved so many lives with your actions that it's truly an honor and privilege to have you.

I want to present you, if I'm allowed, with an Oris watch. They're a partner foundation, and every recipient of the Clemente Award have received a watch. This watch here has the limited edition number of 2021 because it's the year you won it. Those, unfortunately, who have passed, we have sent their widows also the watch, but this is yours. You're 2021 award recipient winner. So very honored.

NELSON CRUZ: Thank you.

THE MODERATOR: Nelson, we're here because of you, for your tremendous efforts on and off the field. Certainly you, as I mentioned, embody the word of philanthropy. The floor is yours.

NELSON CRUZ: Good evening, everybody. I have to thank Manfred, thank you for the words. Luis, your dad, your foundation, his foundation, it has been so much important for us Latin players, and me, my family, my foundation, we're really, really happy. It's been a blessed day with the news to win the Roberto Clemente Award because so many players out there, they also do an incredible job.

Like I said in the past, we understand that Roberto was the one who guided everybody, this is the way. Because of him, now it's just -- it seems like every player tries to do the same thing.

I remember my first few years in the Big Leagues, I always see Michael Jordan doing the stuff, and that was one of the things I would say, I want to do that one day. But growing up, my dad and my mom, they always involve events for the community, try to get the community better. Whatever it takes, whatever the needs, they find a way. Even today, they're really involved in the community. That was an example that I followed to do the work that I do right now.

So from the bottom of my heart, my family, my foundation, thanks everybody.

THE MODERATOR: Congratulations. We're going to take a few moments to open this up for questions. Nelson has agreed to do it, obviously, in both English and in Spanish. We have a Spanish language translator from the Houston Astros. You have nothing going on tonight. Thanks so much for being here. We appreciate that.

Q. Nelson, when was the first time you found out about Roberto Clemente as a child? And what did those lessons mean to you, and what does it mean to you to get that award now knowing that you know of his legacy?

NELSON CRUZ: Well, growing up as a Latin, you always heard about Roberto Clemente. I was like -- but I never had a chance to see him play. I knew what a great player he was. Once I came to the States I found out, oh, he's not only a good player, he's a great human being. He loves his life and tried to help others. There's no better example when you lost your life trying to give back to others. That's the ultimate sacrifice.

Q. What does it mean to win this award, and who can you give thanks to for all the support that you've given along the way?

NELSON CRUZ: I dedicate this award to my family, to all the people who have helped me out along the way that don't get mentioned maybe that have had a chance in what I've achieved here. All the teams I've been with, a lot of other players as well. There's a lot that goes into it. But above everything, I'd like to dedicate it to my family.

Q. Do you feel there should be more recognition of Dominican players with awards like this?

NELSON CRUZ: I think as a Dominican, there's a lot of people that understand the needs of a lot of people. There's a lot of things that need to be done and a lot of support that has to be given. I think it's a lot of effort that goes into it, a lot of effort on the part of a lot of different people. We just have a special understanding kind of what needs to be done to give back to the community.

Q. Just what does it mean to win various different awards, and now this award, the Roberto Clemente Award? What does it mean helping people and giving back?

NELSON CRUZ: I think we understand that there's a lot of solidarity among Dominican people that, when there's a job that needs to be done, it's what we do, which is help out. I'm super grateful that I've been given more than I've asked for in my career. So I'm just appreciative of that.

Q. The program of bringing dentists and eye doctors to your hometown, how did that specific idea come about?

NELSON CRUZ: We first started with the dental clinic, and the next year we started asking how we can do the mental and the eye doctors. We started doing everything all at the same time. We even went to schools and provided kids with all the books and stuff that they need.

We select the best students in my community each year for the last seven years, and we give them computers, stuff so they can, I guess, get motivated to do better and keep doing what they do and just go in school.

We try to bring players to my hometown so they can share the experience with the kids. It's not much about what they can teach about baseball because there's much you can learn one day about baseball, but the experience and what it takes to become a Big League player. Hopefully, that can be experiences for those kids.

So there's a lot of stuff that's going on there.

THE MODERATOR: Luis and Nelson have to get out onto the field for a special pregame ceremony. That concludes the press conference. I want to thank Commissioner Manfred for allowing baseball to recognize Roberto Clemente Day every year now across the league. So thank you for that.

And if you have the opportunity, please go visit the Roberto Clemente Museum in Pittsburgh, one of the best days you'll have. You guys have done such an amazing job with that.