The LBPRC celebrated Roberto Clemente Day on Saturday, December 21st. Players from all teams wore Clemente’s famous No. 21 on their jerseys, the number the MLB Hall of Fame outfielder wore for 18 seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1955-72. Clemente, born in Carolina, Puerto Rico, in 1934, is the most well-recognized and respected former or current Major League Baseball player from Puerto Rico.
In 1972, Clemente died in a plane crash off the coast of Puerto Rico. Clemente and others were on their way to Nicaragua to provide supplies after a terrible earthquake.
The 2024-25 Roberto Clemente Award recipient is Cangrejeros de Santurce outfielder Henry Ramos. Ramos, who played 23 games with the Cincinnati Reds in 2023, was recognized on the field before a 3-2 win over the Criollos de Caguas on Dec. 21. LBPRC Director of Operations and Tournament Carlos J. Berroa Puertas gifted Ramos a framed painting of Clemente as an honorary gift.
Ramos was recognized as the manager of HR14 Baseball Academy, a travel baseball program in Central Florida dedicated to improving young baseball players’ athletic careers. According to the HR14 Instagram page, Ramos has helped over 30 student-athletes commit to play collegiate baseball at universities across the United States.
Playoffs on the Horizon
The final day of the 2024-25 LBPRC regular season is Saturday, January 4. The semi-finals of the postseason will be Jan. 7, as four of the league’s top six teams qualify for the playoffs. The two semi-final winners will meet in the Championship Series, with the winner taking a plane to represent Puerto Rico in the 2025 Caribbean Series in Mexicali, Mexico.
As it stands, the Indios de Mayagüez, Senadores de San Juan, Cangrejeros de Santurce, and the Criollos de Caguas are the four teams who would qualify for the postseason if the semifinals began today.
There are no LBPRC games on Monday, January 1.
How to Watch the LBPRC:
The 2024-25 regular season can be streamed for free on the league’s YouTube page and the LBPRC mobile phone app.
