Jason Grilli named Atlanta Braves' nominee for the 2015 Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevrolet

Major League Baseball and Chevrolet, the official vehicle of MLB, announced that Jason Grilli was named the Atlanta Braves' 2015 nominee for the prestigious Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevrolet.

Wednesday, September 16^th marks the fourteenth annual Roberto Clemente Day, which was established by Major League Baseball to honor Clemente's legacy and to officially recognize local Club nominees of the Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevrolet. Jason Grilli is one of the 30 Club finalists for the annual award, which recognizes a Major League Baseball player who best represents the game of baseball through positive contributions on and off the field, including sportsmanship and community involvement. The Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevrolet pays tribute to Clemente's achievements and character by recognizing current players who truly understand the value of helping others.

The Atlanta Braves nominated pitcher Jason Grilli for his active community service with hunger awareness and his dedication to the fight against cancer. Grilli serves as a member of Feeding America's Entertainment Council and has volunteered at food banks across the country. He is also one of the Major Leaguers committed to the 108 stitches campaign, its mission to "Strike Out Cancer." Grilli will participate in an on-field presentation before the Braves take on the Blue Jays Wednesday night, and his charity of choice, Feeding America, will receive $7,500. On Saturday, September 19, Grilli will continue his community service efforts as he visits the Atlanta Community Food Bank from 12-2 p.m. to participate in Feeding America's Celebrity Pack-a-thon.

Beginning on Roberto Clemente Day, fans are encouraged to participate in the process of selecting the winner of the Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevrolet by visiting ChevyBaseball.com, which is powered by MLB Advanced Media, to vote for one of the 30 Club nominees. Voting ends on Friday, October 9 and participating fans will be automatically registered for a chance to win a trip to the 2015 World Series, where the winner of the Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevrolet will be announced.

Clubs playing at home on September 16^th will recognize their local nominees as part of Roberto Clemente Day ceremonies, while visiting Clubs will honor their nominees before another September home game. As part of the league-wide celebration, the Roberto Clemente Day logo will appear on the bases and official dugout lineup cards and a special tribute video will be played in ballparks.

The concept of honoring players for their philanthropic work was created in 1971 as the "Commissioner's Award," but was renamed to the "Roberto Clemente Award" in 1973 in honor of the Hall of Famer and 15-time All-Star who died in a plane crash on New Year's Eve 1972 while attempting to deliver supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua. Each September since 2002, Major League Baseball has commemorated Roberto Clemente Day.