Triple-A Worcester, playing as 'Los Wepas,' celebrates Clemente's legacy

Los Wepas nights in Worcester certainly live up to the name. So of course, when the club had an opportunity to celebrate Puerto Rican heritage and Roberto Clemente, they made it a great one.

On what would have been Clemente’s 90th birthday on Aug. 18, the Woo Sox hosted Puerto Rican Heritage Day in Clemente’s honor at Polar Park. Luis Clemente, president of the Roberto Clemente Foundation and the Hall of Famer’s son, was on hand for the day’s festivities, signing autographs for fans and helping children through drills at a baseball clinic.

The baseball world honors the life and legacy of Roberto Clemente, who was born in Carolina, Puerto Rico, every year on Sept. 15 with Roberto Clemente Day. But, given its choice of a Copa de la Diversión identity, Worcester is a natural fit for its own Clemente celebration.

“Wepa,” more of a generic exclamation of joy most popular within Puerto Rican culture than a translatable word, does not have a formal definition. And it’s evident at Wepas games that the club has captured the celebratory aspect of Copa de la Diversión. But their efforts have been elevated by their embrace of the local Latin community.

When the Red Sox Triple-A affiliate moved to Worcester after 50 years in Pawtucket, R.I., the front office frequently hosted meetings with community leaders to learn more about their new hometown. It was at these meetings that the Wepas identity was first suggested by a local fan, Daniel Velasquez.

Eventually, the club formed the Wepas advisory committee, which was made up of Latin civic and community leaders and members of the WooSox front office. Its work paid off right away, as the club was named program campeón during its inaugural season in 2021, and was awarded a $5,000 donation from Nationwide, the official insurance partner of Copa de la Diversión.

Elizabeth Cruz, the Worcester Latin American Business Organization (LABO) president and a member of the Wepas advisory committee, was paramount in connecting the club with the Roberto Clemente Foundation this year.

“[The committee] really leads the charge in connecting the team with the community and getting people, not only from Worcester, but just in general, involved with Los Wepas,” said WooSox marketing coordinator Jordan Sealey-Ashford. “[Cruz] really was the liaison -- the driving force behind making this [Roberto Clemente celebration] happen.”

The club and presenting sponsor organizations hosted about 30 kids for a youth baseball clinic at Holy Cross’ Fitton Field to begin the day’s festivities.

“I remember at a very young age going to baseball clinics that were offered in Puerto Rico, and there’s pictures and videos where all three of us -- my brothers and I -- were [wearing Roberto’s number] 21,” Clemente told WooSox public relations assistant Ryan Shehan. “It’s something that [Vera, Luis’ mother]... immediately continued his legacy work and made sure that we understood what the legacy was all about.”

The celebration then moved to Polar Park, where Luis Clemente and other local Puerto Rican community leaders were highlighted in pregame ceremonies on the field. The club presented a $2,100 check to the Roberto Clemente Foundation, in honor of Clemente’s No. 21 jersey number, courtesy of the WooSox Foundation.

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Clemente threw out the ceremonial first pitch, then went on the WooSox broadcast to promote the mission of the Roberto Clemente Foundation. After the game, Clemente did a meet and greet with fans at Sherwood’s Diner, a historic local establishment which was refurbished and moved into Polar Park and is now used as the home base for the WooSox Foundation as well as media interviews and player autograph sessions.

Jose Flores, the WooSox bench coach and native of Cidra, Puerto Rico, also met with fans and signed autographs at a ballpark club after the game.

“Overall, I think the day went really well. I heard a lot of great feedback from members of the community that they were really excited, not only just to meet [Clemente], but to see Roberto Clemente's legacy celebrated at the ballpark along with Puerto Rico,” Sealey-Ashford said.