HOUSTON — 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, was to receive the award before World Series Game 2 on Wednesday night.
The 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 transport of people to the nearest hospital, which is about an hour away.
His Boomstick23 Foundation began construction of an education and technical center last year and he will stock the center with computers to assist athletes in their education.
Cruz, 41, also organizes dentists and optometrists to go the town’s clinic for checkups, medicine and eyewear, and 500 patients received dental services last year.
He helped arrange for MLB, Major League Baseball Players Association and the union’s Players Trust to donate $400,000 to the Dominican Republic for medical equipment and food aid during the pandemic.
Cruz was nominated by the Minnesota Twins, who traded him to the Tampa Bay Rays in July.