Nelson Cruz has been given Major League Baseball’s Roberto Clemente Award for character, community involvement and philanthropy.
Cruz, the 50th winner of the honor, received the award before World Series Game 2 last night. He was nominated by the Minnesota Twins, who traded him to the Tampa Bay Rays in July.
The 41-year-old Cruz, a 17-year MLB veteran and seven-time All-Star, provided financial support to 1,200 families in his hometown of Las Matas de Santa Cruz, Dominican Republic, during the COVID-19 pandemic, helping feed 700 families. After a fire destroyed the home of a childhood friend, Cruz provided the town with a fire engine, 80 firefighter uniforms and an ambulance for transportation for people to the nearest hospital, which is about an hour away. He has also organized dentists and optometrists to go to the town’s clinic and provide medical services, as well as began construction of an education and tech center to assist athletes in their education under his Boomstick23 Foundation.