Pirates Sorry for Slighting Hall of Famer's Family

The Pittsburgh Pirates have apologized for swapping a ballpark sign honoring Roberto Clemente with an advertisement for alcohol in a move that "shocked" the late Hall of Famer's family. In a Sunday statement, Roberto Clemente Jr. said the "tribute to my father on the right field wall at PNC Park" was replaced by an ad for Surfside alcoholic beverages "without any communication or consultation with our family," per the Athletic. Pirates team president Travis Williams soon after responded, noting the right field corner has carried advertisements "for many years." He said the sign to honor Clemente, who died in a plane crash in 1972 at age 38, was added in 2022 "when we didn't have a sponsor coming out of COVID."

Williams said "we intended no disrespect" with the switch back to an advertisement, revealed at Friday's home opener. But "it was an oversight not to keep the No. 21 logo. This is ultimately on me, not anyone else in the organization. It was an honest mistake," he said, per ESPN. Brian Warecki, the club's senior vice president of communications and broadcasting, noted the team honors Clemente in other ways, including with a 12-foot bronze statue outside the stadium. The tribute sign, he said, was "never meant" to be permanent. However, the team now plans to reinstate it, per the Athletic. "We look forward to continuing our relationship with the Clemente family and apologize to them and our fans," said Williams. (More Pittsburgh Pirates stories.)