Francisco Lindor has spent years doing charity work without asking for attention. On Monday night, baseball gave him its highest honor for it. The New York Mets shortstop received the Roberto Clemente Award before Game 3 of the World Series in St. Petersburg, Florida.

The award goes each year to the player who best represents the game through sportsmanship, community involvement and contributions to his team. Lindor showed up for the ceremony in a tuxedo with his wife, Katia, by his side.

Lindor said the work was never about being recognized. He called the night a "full-circle moment."

A Puerto Rican legacy

Lindor is the fifth player of Puerto Rican descent to win the award named for the Pittsburgh Pirates great. He joins Edgar Martinez in 2004, Carlos Delgado in 2006, Carlos Beltran in 2013 and Yadier Molina in 2018.

Clemente was a 15-time All-Star. He died in a plane crash on New Year's Eve in 1972 while delivering aid to earthquake victims in Nicaragua. His spirit of service is what the award is meant to honor.

Lindor shared a lighter memory too. He remembered trying to copy Clemente's batting stance as a kid, only to have his father tell him, "Pops, you ain't got it like that."

Giving back at home and in New York

Lindor and his wife have supported Children's Miracle Network Hospitals, the SEEN Foundation, Special Olympics Florida and the Boys and Girls Clubs. After Hurricanes Maria and Fiona hit Puerto Rico, they helped lead relief efforts on the island.

He has also restored sports facilities in his hometown of Caguas. At Montverde Academy in Florida, where he played in high school, he gave more than $1 million toward a building now called Lindor Hall.

In New York, his Lindor's Leaders program works with students at Bayside High School in Queens. He has also handed out backpacks to kids in Queens.

More than a ballplayer

Lindor is one of the most recognizable stars in the game, but Monday was about something bigger than his bat or his glove. For a player who grew up idolizing Clemente in Puerto Rico, getting an award with that name on it meant everything.