PITTSBURGH -- “When you’re in baseball,” Trevor Williams said Wednesday, “you know the man.”

And when you’re in Pittsburgh, you know the man: Roberto Clemente.

Major League Baseball honored Clemente’s life and legacy on Wednesday, and Roberto Clemente Day is particularly meaningful for the Pirates. His No. 21 was painted in gold in foul territory at PNC Park, and it was outlined larger in right field in front of the 21-foot wall named in his honor.

Hours before Dario Agrazal's first pitch against the Mariners, Pirates players, coaches, executives and staff paid a more fitting tribute to the Hall of Fame player and humanitarian by venturing out into the Pittsburgh community for a day full of service projects.

One group of Pirates visited the Allegheny Intermediate Unit Latino Family Center. Another took part in the Summer Slugger School Assembly at Center Elementary School. Chris Archer led a Pirates Charities and Good Sports equipment distribution at the Westinghouse Academy.

Elsewhere, players and coaches took part in an Operation Troop Appreciation packing event while another group joined students from Pittsburgh Arsenal PreK-5 for a tour of the Roberto Clemente Museum.

Pirates manager Clint Hurdle, who was alongside Clemente’s widow, Vera, at the Latino Family Center, channeled Clemente’s famous words when discussing the importance of this annual celebration.

“You need to remember that this is a day you can make a difference, and if you’re not making a difference, you’ve wasted an opportunity that you’ve been given with this job that we have,” Hurdle said. “In the city of Pittsburgh, it’s so very, very meaningful. I don’t ever want to drop the bar on that or lower the bar or not be representative of where it stands.

“To see the look in Vera’s eyes as she represents still is very, very special. I spend time with [Clemente's] sons throughout the year. It’s a day that we do embrace and hold near and dear to us.”

Williams, the Pirates’ nominee for the MLB-wide Roberto Clemente Award, expressed a similar sentiment a few hours before meeting Vera on the field.

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“It’s a tremendous honor, obviously. If I can aspire to be just 10 percent of the man that he was, you’re helping out a lot of people, you’re doing a lot of good in the world,” Williams said. “You can’t put a value on what he meant to baseball and what he meant to the city of Pittsburgh and what he meant to his country of Puerto Rico and also a lot of other Latin American countries.

“To represent the Pirates, Clemente’s organization, is surreal. I feel extremely underqualified and I feel extremely not worthy of it, but I hope to make his legacy proud and I hope to make the city proud.”

Williams has done that through his charitable work. He is involved in a number of initiatives and plans to soon take on a more active role in promoting mental health awareness. He’s supported the Miracle League programs, taken part in the Pirates Charities CARE-a-van projects, spent time with families in need and shared his faith with fans during the Pirates’ annual Faith Night at PNC Park.

But Williams’ most notable charitable endeavor is the nonprofit Project 34 foundation that he co-founded with his friend, Cory Hahn, to positively impact the lives of people living with spinal cord injuries. Williams and his wife, Jackie, have welcomed families impacted by spinal cord injuries at PNC Park, hosted a Project 34 Day along with Pirates Charities and spearheaded the Dingers in the Desert fundraising event.

“He’s grown up right before our eyes. Right man, right spot,” Hurdle said. “He’s earned the opportunity. Well-documented and well-chosen. ... I’m very proud of him.”