The setting could not have been any better. As Paul Skenes and Konnor Griffin chatted with members of the Clemente family on Tuesday morning, they stood next to the statue of the Great One, steps from the Roberto Clemente Bridge.
It’s getting harder and harder to top Clemente Day, an organization-wide honoring of the Pirates legend, one steeped in service and a "crescendo" of community-focused efforts. But this might have done it.
“He set the standard for what a Pirates player should be,” Griffin said. “I try to live out that same deal every single day on and off the field.”
Griffin, Skenes and the Clemente brothers were catching up before one of five service events the Pirates welcomed, an all-hands-on-deck fanning out into the community to celebrate the iconic right fielder’s legacy.
On Federal Street, volunteers assembled bags of produce and non-perishable foods for drive-through distribution in partnership with the Veterans Leadership Program of Western Pennsylvania.
Players moved palates, carried milk, generated plenty of laughs while manning the assembly line and chatted plenty with the Clementes about how and why their father valued this stuff so much.
But all over Pittsburgh, there were efforts made to do what Roberto would’ve done, to pour into the community. The Pirates served as the hub, but it also included partners like US Steel, Sheetz and Allegheny Health Network, a fleet of volunteers finding as many ways to impact the community as possible.
Which understandably warms the Clemente family’s heart.
“We’re so grateful that this has become bigger every year,” Roberto Clemente Jr. said. “The group is amazing. We’re so proud of what the Pirates have done to grow this day, to make sure we understand the legacy of Clemente lives by supporting each other, being able to help each other. [Tuesday] is a perfect example of what the legacy means.”
Along with the food distribution, two groups of Pirates players, coaches and staffers visited elementary schools in the area, Avalon and Bellevue, as part of the AHN’s Chill Mobile Program.
At Bellevue Elementary, Jake Mangum chatted with students in a classroom about Pokémon, while his teammates took over a gym class and started a rowdy game of wiffle ball. Players signed autographs, posed for pictures, told stories ... anything anyone wanted.
Same thing a few minutes down the road where the Pirates’ Clemente Award nominee, Brandon Lowe, stood at the center of the playground and pitched to kids.
It didn’t go well for Lowe, who joked that some of the youngsters humbled him. But he was more so worried about carrying on the Clemente legacy by helping others and connecting with the community, the same as he's done through Pirates Charities events all season.
“Nobody has batted an eye when it comes to participating,” Lowe said. “You see everyone here from the organization. It’s a big deal in the baseball world. But it’s an even bigger deal in Pittsburgh.
“It’s so much fun, too. You walk into a classroom, everyone gets excited. You sit down and talk with them. The first classroom I walked into, I was in a conversation with two little girls. They were talking to me like I had known them for years. It makes it a blast to come out here.”
There was one group that renovated a field and batting cages at Clairton Park, along with painting, weeding, raking and other cleanup to beautify the area. Same thing at Helen Richey Field in McKeesport's Renzie Park.
The events are designed to honor things Clemente valued: military service, kids, education and the community. There’s also a personal touch, president Travis Williams explained, because the fields are used for the Pirates’ RBI (Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities) program.
“It all comes together nicely to show the legacy of Roberto Clemente, how that impacts the Pirates organization and motivates us within Pirates Charities to do good work out in the community,” Williams said. “I think everyone who puts on a Pirates uniform understands the magnitude of what he meant, not only as a player but as a humanitarian. They really take that seriously.
"We see our players out in the community throughout the entire season, not just today. But [Clemente Day] is kind of a crescendo if you will or a culmination of a lot of that effort that happens.”
The celebration extended beyond the Major League team, too. Along with volunteering and celebrating Lowe as the Pirates’ nominee, they honored the winners of the Pirates Community Commitment Program (PCCP) awards for service throughout the Minor Leagues.
That group included Connor Wietgrefe (Indianapolis), Peyton Stumbo (Altoona), Treyson Peters (Greensboro), Jeter Martinez (Bradenton), Luke Scherrer (Bradenton), Dioris Martinez (Florida Complex League), Yoander Santana (Dominican Summer League) and Iverson Allen (DSL).
“I know the Pirates take a lot of pride in this community service and helping out the community, especially with Roberto Clemente and having his name attached to it, it just means that much more,” Wietgrefe said. “I know Bob Nutting has a huge impact on the community with all of the Miracle League stuff and everything that we’re doing. It’s great to be part of an organization that cares about more than just the game.”
That’s exactly what Ryan O’Hearn has learned during his first year with the Pirates -- this stuff matters, a standard set by Nutting and passed down through Williams, general manager Ben Cherington and manager Don Kelly, who pitched in on landscaping duty for the morning.
On the road, O'Hearn organizes service events through Big League Impact, taking pride in the Pirates’ high level of participation and always pushing to do more, proud the Pirates are among the most active organizations in MLB when it comes to charity work.
Which is why, on Clemente Day, there’s nowhere else O’Hearn would rather be than standing next to the Clemente statue and bridge, waiting to package food for veterans and embracing the Great One’s legacy of compassion and service.
“Roberto Clemente and the Pirates are synonymous,” O’Hearn said. “Today is his day. It’s a little bit more responsibility on our part to do something special for the community.
“It’s a big day around the league but especially for us. You’re giving your time to something that matters. That hits home for me. It’s a great opportunity to show up and serve and be of some use to the community, not just on a baseball field.”
Jason Mackey: Jason.Mackey@pirates.com and @JMackey_PGH on X.