Pirates Adding Roberto Clemente Logo Back to Right Field Wall

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates came under scrutiny after replacing a Roberto Clemente logo with an advertisement for Surfside, an alcoholic beverage provider, on PNC Park’s right field wall.

Named the Clemente Wall, the stadium’s right field fence stands 21 feet tall in honor of ‘The Great One.’

While there are two No. 21 patches visible above the out of town scoreboard, an additional logo was visible just below the foul pole before it was replaced by the Surfside advertisement prior to the start of this season.

The move came as a surprise to Clemente’s son, Roberto, Jr, who issued a statement earlier in the day on Sunday on Twitter/X.

Not long after, Pirates team president Travis Williams said the Roberto Clemente logo will be added back to its original spot.

“We did not intend to disrespect the legacy of Roberto Clemente by adding the advertisement to the pad in right field,” he said in a statement. When we added the advertisement to the pad, 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.”

Fans expressed their displeasure with the decision during the Pirates’ home opening series against the New York Yankees over the weekend over social media.

“We want to make sure that the Clemente family understands that we intended no disrespect to their father,” said Williams. “We look forward to continuing our relationship with the Clemente family and apologize to them and our fans for our honest mistake.”