The management of the Pittsburgh Pirates struck out with fans when they replaced an outfield sign devoted to Pirates Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente with an ad to sell liquor. 

Pirates fans screamed almost as loud when Bill Mazeroski slammed a homerun on October 13, 1960, off of Yankees pitcher Ralph Terry to break a 9-9 tie in the ninth inning to win the game 10-9 and make the Pirates World Series Champions.

The Pirates reversed that decision Sunday and apologized to the Clemente family and fans after replacing a right field wall honoring Clemente in PNC Park, the Pirate’s home field.

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

Roberto Clemente Jr., the oldest son of the iconic outfielder, and several Pirates fans were angry at the appearance of the ad this season, which featured a logo celebrating his father since 2022. 

Surfside, a crosstown rival based in Philadelphia, makes a canned cocktail line of complex teas and lemonades, which is very popular. It’s expanding its selection and geographical reach.

Clemente Jr. accepted the act of contrition after throwing a hard slider at management.

Earlier Sunday, before the team announced its reversal, Clemente Jr. wrote on social media: “This change was made without any communication or consultation with our family. While we appreciate that the Pirates acknowledged their failure to inform us, it reveals a broader issue: a lack of meaningful collaboration between the organization and on matters that are deeply personal and historically significant to us and the fans.”

On Dec. 31, 1972, Clemente boarded a small plane en route from Puerto Rico to Nicaragua to assist with earthquake relief. 

The heavily loaded plane crashed just off the Puerto Rican coast, and Clemente’s body was never recovered. He was born in Puerto Rico.

Clemente was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1973 in a special election that waived the mandatory five-year waiting period.

“Baseball survives,” wrote columnist Jimmy Cannon of the New York Journal-American, “because guys like Clemente still play it.”