Rays make MLB history with special lineup on Roberto Clemente Day

Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash made history Thursday when he penciled in the first-ever all-Latin American starting nine in MLB history against the Toronto Blue Jays.

The move coincided with the league’s celebration of the 21st annual Roberto Clemente Day, which honors the late Puerto Rican Hall of Fame outfielder. 

Here’s how the lineup looked for Tampa Bay: 

1. 3B Yandy Díaz (Cuba)

2. RF Randy Arozarena (Cuba)

3. SS Wander Franco (Dominican Republic)

4. 1B Harold Ramírez (Colombia)

5. DH Manuel Margot (Dominican Republic)

6. LF David Peralta (Venezuela)

7. 2B Isaac Paredes (Mexico)

8. C René Pinto (Venezuela)

9. CF Jose Siri (Dominican Republic)

All players wore No. 21, Clemente’s number, as teams throughout baseball did Thursday night. 

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There was no sacrifice of talent by Cash to make history in this game. The Rays dominated their division rival, 11-0. Their ace, left-hander Shane McClanahan, was on the mound, and he set the tone. The Rays teed off on Blue Jays right-hander Kevin Gausman. 

Díaz got things going with a three-run homer to score Ramírez and Pinto to make it 4-0 in the top of the second inning. Paredes hit a one-run homer in the top of the seventh. 

The Rays poured it on in the top of the ninth, with Paredes driving home another run with an RBI single. Arozarena and Franco hit RBI singles, and Margot hit a base-clearing double to score three more runs.

It will be 50 years at the end of the year since Clemente died Dec. 31, 1972, in a plane crash while on his way to deliver emergency supplies to Nicaraguans decimated by an earthquake. 

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All players around the league will wear the No. 21 Clemente wore with the Pittsburgh Pirates. And players who have won the Roberto Clemente Award, given to “the player who best represents the game of baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions, both on and off the field,” will wear a No. 21 patch on their jerseys. 

Clemente was a 15-time All-Star, two-time World Series champion, World Series and league MVP, 12-time Gold Glover and four-time batting title winner. In his 18-year career, Clemente owned a .317/.356/.479 slash line with 240 homers, 3,000 hits and 1,305 RBI.