Boston Red Sox David Ortiz named 2011 Clemente Award winner – MLB News
The Boston Red Sox David Ortiz has been given the Roberto Clemente Award on Thursday, October 20 by Chevrolet before the start of Game 2 of the World Series.
Ortiz won the award among the 30 players including two-time winner Albert Pujols of St. Louis Cardinals.
Millions of fans at Chevybaseball.com participated to select this year’s winner. The winner of the fan poll then received a vote from a selection panel, which included renowned baseball columnist Hal Bodley, Selig and Vera Clemente, former Clemente Award
winners Cal Ripken Jr., John Smoltz, Al Leiter, Harold Reynolds, Barry Larkin and former All-Star Nomar Garciaparra.
When Albert Pujols listened to the news of David Ortiz, he raced from first base to embrace his Dominican countryman at home plate.
Every year the Clemente Award is presented to a player who contributed to the game of baseball positively inside the park and out of the field. The award was started in 1972 in the memory of 12 time All-Star winner and Hall of Famer, who met his death while
he was going to supply medicines to earthquake victims in Nicaragua. Since then the Award is presented every year to the young players, who have helped society in a humane manner.
"Major League Baseball is pleased to present David Ortiz with the 2011 Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevrolet," Commissioner Bud Selig said. "David's remarkable commitment to helping children receive essential pediatric care in the United States and
the Dominican Republic makes him a wonderful choice for this honor.”
Ortiz is a seven time All-Star player and a two-time World Series Championship winner, but his achievement that helped him to be able for this recognition was an ambition to help the children.
David said I felt honoured receiving this award and it had been real valuable to be named with the tremendous players. He further expressed his ambition to move forward the legacy of Roberto Clemente.
Ortiz was a part of the Boston Red Sox in their journey to the World Series, but the club had lost their momentum in the last month, in which they lost most of their games. Despite a poor performance in the month of September the club had managed to get
close to the playoffs, but lost to Tampa Bay Rays. It ended their 2011 season journey after teaching them many lessons for the up-coming 2012 season.
Recognising Ortiz for this honourable award is just one of many ways MLB has been working with groups both in and around baseball to make a positive impact in society with those less fortunate.
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