Taillon leads Yankees on guided tour of Clemente Museum

PITTSBURGH -- It’s been since April 2017 that the Yankees have visited Pittsburgh, home of the legendary Roberto Clemente. His likeness is plastered all around PNC Park and the city, and the home of much of his life’s story in America is told at the Clemente Museum.

A large contingent of Yankees got to experience that history -- some for the first time -- and alongside the insight of museum director Duane Rieder, they had a few teammates who were able to serve as guides.

Jameson Taillon, a fan favorite in Pittsburgh and the No. 2 overall selection by the Pirates in the 2010 Draft, spearheaded the effort to have the visiting team introduced to Clemente’s legacy. Gerrit Cole, a staple of Pittsburgh’s pennant contenders in the mid-2010s, and Clay Holmes, another career-long Pirate until his trade in 2021 to New York, went along to share the experience.

In all, about a dozen players and staff were able to spend Monday’s off-day at the Clemente Museum. Suzyn Waldman and the Yankees’ radio announcers also made a trip to the one-of-a-kind museum that honors one of the greatest humanitarians the game has ever had.

“I think any time you can share what Roberto was all about with some players that are new and haven’t been maybe quite as exposed to the story as they otherwise have been now after being there, it’s part of the legacy of him, you know?” Cole said. “It’s kind of like it’s his house, and he’s coming over and hosting you and you’re having table wine and talking about baseball.”

Yes, that’s right. The museum has a cellar where visitors can sip Engine House 25 wine, a local wine company that also calls the Clemente Museum’s building home. Casks inscribed with Clemente’s No. 21 are on display where the players, staff and Rieder sat to talk about the life and legacy of “The Great One.”

“Duane does just a great job of hosting,” Holmes said. “He told the story of Roberto Clemente really well. He always does. It was just a great night for us.”

The players also got to have a little bit of fun tinkering with some of the equipment from Clemente’s playing days. Of course, some of the memorabilia is sacred and cased off, but Rieder’s collection features bats and mitts from that period that the Yankees got to see up close and personal -- from Clemente’s 38-ounce bat to Willie Stargell’s “pea shooter” of a bat, in Cole’s words.

“To watch guys pick up some of the old equipment and think about, would they be able to perform the same way now [with it], and where’s the line?” Cole said. “It’s always interesting to see different guys’ perspectives with different bats.”

Even for Cole, the museum visit was a long time coming. He hadn’t been in five years and said he marveled at how much had been added and updated by Rieder and volunteers.

And while the Yankees may only have a few days in the city they infrequently visit, quite a few of them will go home with stories they learned about an all-time great who inspired players across the league and people across the globe.

“It’s just fascinating, and everybody’s first time there, you learn something,” Cole said. “It’s cool to be around.”