Tony Conigliaro Award

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The Tony Conigliaro Award is a national award instituted in 1990 by the Boston Red Sox to honor the memory of their former star Tony Conigliaro. It is given annually to a Major League Baseball player who best overcomes an obstacle and adversity through the attributes of spirit, determination and courage that were trademarks of Conigliaro. His career was tragically shortened when he was hit in the face by a pitch at Fenway Park on August 18, 1967. After having to sit out the entire 1968 season, he made a dramatic comeback in 1969-1970, hitting 56 home runs with 198 RBI total in those two years, but his performance fell off and he was never the same player.

A special panel is composed of the media, representatives of the commissioner and the two leagues' offices. Tony's brothers Billy and Richie, and a fan, make the selection. Announcement of the award is made at the annual major league winter meetings in December and the formal presentation takes place at the Boston Baseball Writers Association dinner in January.

This is the list of the players honored with the Tony Conigliaro Award, including the specific adversities they had to overcome:

1990

Jim Eisenreich
- Tourette syndrome

1991

Dickie Thon
- Recovered from a beaning in 1984 very similar to the one that shortened Conigliaro's career

1992

Jim Abbott
- Born without a right hand

1993

Bo Jackson
- Came back from hip replacement surgery in 1992

1994

Mark Leiter
- Lost 9-month-old son to Werdnig-Hoffman disease during offseason

1995

Scott Radinsky
- Came back from Hodgkin's disease

1996

Curtis Pride
- Deaf from birth

1997

Eric Davis
- Came back after diagnosis of colon cancer early that season

1998

Bret Saberhagen
- Came back from serious shoulder injuries

1999

Mike Lowell
- Came back from testicular cancer

2000

Kent Mercker and Tony Saunders
- Mercker came back from cerebral hemorrhage
- Saunders came back from breaking his arm while throwing a pitch

2001

Graeme Lloyd and Jason Johnson
- Lloyd came back after missing the entire 2000 season to arthroscopic shoulder surgery, during which time his wife, Cindy, died from Crohn's disease.
- Johnson is a Type 1 diabetic who wears an insulin pump on the field

2002

José Rijo
- Came back after five years out of baseball with serious elbow injuries

2003

Jim Mecir
- Born with two club feet

2004

Dewon Brazelton
- Underwent reconstructive knee surgery and Tommy John surgery before graduating from high school

2005

Aaron Cook^[1]
- Came back after surgery in 2004 to remove blood clots from both lungs

2006

Freddy Sanchez^[2]
- Born with a right club foot and a severely pigeon-toed left foot

2007

Jon Lester
- Came back after being diagnosed with a rare form of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2006 to win the clinching Game 4 of the 2007 World Series.^[3]