Roberto Clemente Day is celebrated in baseball each September to honor the Pirates Hall of Fame outfielder who was tragically killed in a plane crash trying to bring relief supplies to Nicaragua on December 31, 1972. Every Major League Baseball team nominates a player whose generosity and charity work embodies the spirit of Clemente’s legacy. All 30 clubs will honor their nominees before games this week, the Cubs honored theirs Tuesday night. For the second year in a row the Cubs nominee is Jon Lester.
Lester has a bit of a surly presence on the mound, but he does an incredible amount of charity work and outreach off the field to support pediatric cancer patients and their families.