St. Louis Cardinals legend Yadier Molina was visibly emotional after homering in his first at-bat during the Redbirds' game against the Detroit Tigers on Thursday.
The reason? The Cardinals catcher knocked it out of the park wearing the No. 21 in honor of MLB Hall of Famer and countryman Roberto Clemente.
It was an incredible moment:
Yadier Molina was emotional after hitting a home run in his first at-bat while wearing No. 21 to honor Roberto Clemente ❤️
(via @MLB) pic.twitter.com/S94cYV6Eep
— ESPN (@espn) September 10, 2020
The Cardinals veteran hails from Puerto Rico, and Clemente became a hero in his country as much for his philanthropic work off the field as his excellence on the diamond.
Major League Baseball declared players could replace their individual numbers with the No. 21 in honor of Clemente, and a number of stars — including other Puerto Rican stars like Javier Baez — wore the number. Yadi himself explained the significance of Clemente's legacy:
“It is an extraordinary honor and a source of great pride for all of us to have the opportunity to wear No. 21 to honor Roberto Clemente on this great day,” Molina told ESPN. “For all us Latinos who have played Major League Baseball, and have had to deal with so many obstacles, difficulties and challenges, Clemente is the source of inspiration we need to move forward and pursue our dreams and be an example to others on and off the field.”
Cardinals fans are used to Molina playing with emotion and wearing his heart on his sleeve, but this home run was especially notable for the veteran backstop.
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