Martinez, Nats coaches to wear No. 21 in honor of Clemente

During his 16 seasons as a major league player, Davey Martinez wore five different jersey numbers: 1, 3, 14, 17 and 30. And during his decade-plus as a coach and manager, Martinez has worn No. 4.

Tonight, when he steps out of the dugout at Nationals Park and lines up for the national anthem before their series opener against the Braves, he'll finally have the No. 21 on his back.

With Major League Baseball celebrating Roberto Clemente Day and granting permission for players and other uniformed personnel from Puerto Rico to honor their native son, Martinez decided to wear the number of his idol for the first time.

"It's an honor, it really is," he said during his pregame Zoom session with reporters.

Martinez won't be alone. He has asked the members of his coaching staff to also wear No. 21 tonight, signifying the vast impact the late Hall of Fame outfielder had on the sport, not merely on Latin Americans.

"As you know, he's my idol," Martinez said. "What he represents is unity. And I thought it would be nice to have the coaches represent 21 as well."

Though he was born and raised in New York, Martinez's parents both came from Puerto Rico. His father, Ernie, was a huge Clemente fan and passed along his reverence for the Pirates star to his son, who would become a big league outfielder himself.

Martinez brings up Clemente's name regularly, citing his performance on the field and his service off the field. Every year when his team travels to Pittsburgh, he brings a group of players to tour the Clemente Museum, where his signature adorns one of dozens of baseballs signed by athletes and other notable visitors to the facility.

Clemente meant so much to Martinez growing up, he wouldn't dream of asking for No. 21 on any baseball jersey. He did wear it when he played high school football, but never when playing baseball.

Until tonight, when the Nationals join the rest of the sport in honoring one of its greatest humanitarians.

"I got to hang it up next to my jersey in my locker room right now, and it's just amazing to see that number on my back and everybody else's backs," Martinez said. "I watched some games yesterday and watched all those guys wear it. It means a lot. It means a lot to all of us."