Clemente honored at clinic during Puerto Rico goodwill tour

CAROLINA, Puerto Rico — The children’s chants started in the middle of the infield, spread to the outfield and echoed throughout Estadio Roberto Clemente, located just east of San Juan, on Friday night.

Famous baseball men, twice their age, watched with delight as they clapped along to the beat.

“Uno, dos, tres, Roberto Clemente! Uno, dos, tres, Roberto Clemente! Uno, dos, tres, Roberto Clemente!”

The chant could be heard every 10 minutes when the young ballplayers rotated stations.

The Puerto Rico goodwill tour “Peloteros Por Puerto Rico,” an event spearheaded by the Major League Baseball Players Association in conjunction with Major League Baseball, made its first stop in Carolina with a baseball clinic for 150 young players in the stadium named after the island’s legendary baseball hero. The star-studded tour, which started Thursday with a reception hosted by Astros outfielder Carlos Beltran, is designed to spotlight Clemente’s humanitarian efforts while celebrating baseball legends and promoting the development of baseball in Puerto Rico.

A baseball clinic at Manuel Gonzalez Stadium in Salinas is scheduled for Saturday afternoon. A gala honoring baseball in Puerto Rico is scheduled for later that night.

“We are here for baseball and we are here for Roberto Clemente,” Beltran said. “As a Puerto Rican player, I feel it’s my job to follow in his footsteps and help the young players whether they are in the big leagues or here at the clinic. He was a professional and he also defended the rights of Latinos. That is something everyone admires.”

Beltran was joined by Nationals reliever Oliver Perez (Mexico), Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor (Puerto Rico), White Sox pitcher Jose Quintana (Colombia), Rays closer Alex Colome (Dominican Republic), …

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