Tony Conigliaro Award
| Tony Conigliaro | |
|---|---|
 Tony Conigliaro, the namesake of the award | |
| First awarded | 1990 |
| Currently held by | John Lackey, Boston Red Sox |
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.
Conigliaro was hit in the face by a pitch at Fenway Park on August 18, 1967. After missing the rest of the 1967 season and all of 1968, he made a comeback in 1969, homering on opening day. He hit 20 home runs in 1969, winning The Sporting News Comeback Player of the Year Award. The following season, he had career highs in home runs with 36 and RBIs with 116, but vision problems continued to persist; his performance fell off, and he was never the same player. After a final comeback attempt in 1975, Conigliaro retired at age 30.[1]
A special panel is composed of the media, representatives of the commissioner, and the two leagues' offices. The selection is made by Tony's brothers Billy and Richie, and a fan. 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.
Key
| ^ |
Indicates multiple award winners in the same year |
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Award winners
This is the list of the players honored with the Tony Conigliaro Award, including the specific adversities they had to overcome:
| Year | Player | Team | Adversity overcome | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Eisenreich, JimJim Eisenreich | Kansas City Royals | Tourette syndrome | |
| 1991 | Thon, DickieDickie Thon | Philadelphia Phillies | A 1984 beaning very similar to the one that shortened Conigliaro's career | [1] |
| 1992 | Abbott, JimJim Abbott | California Angels | Born without a right hand | |
| 1993 | Jackson, BoBo Jackson | Chicago White Sox | Hip replacement surgery in 1992 | |
| 1994 | Leiter, MarkMark Leiter | California Angels | Death of 9-month-old son to Werdnig-Hoffman disease during offseason | |
| 1995 | Radinsky, ScottScott Radinsky | Chicago White Sox | Hodgkin's disease | |
| 1996 | Pride, CurtisCurtis Pride | Montreal Expos | Born deaf | |
| 1997 | Davis, EricEric Davis | Baltimore Orioles | Diagnosed with colon cancer early that season | |
| 1998 | Saberhagen, BretBret Saberhagen | Boston Red Sox | Serious shoulder injuries | |
| 1999 | Lowell, MikeMike Lowell | Florida Marlins | Testicular cancer | |
| 2000^ | Mercker, KentKent Mercker | Anaheim Angels | Cerebral hemorrhage | |
| 2000^ | Saunders, TonyTony Saunders | Tampa Bay Devil Rays | Broke arm while throwing a pitch | |
| 2001^ | Lloyd, GraemeGraeme Lloyd | Montreal Expos | Arthroscopic shoulder surgery in 2000, and the death of his wife from Crohn's disease | |
| 2001^ | Johnson, JasonJason Johnson | Baltimore Orioles | Type 1 diabetes that required Johnson to wear an insulin pump on the field | |
| 2002 | Rijo, JoséJosé Rijo | Cincinnati Reds | Elbow injuries that sidelined him for five years | |
| 2003 | Mecir, JimJim Mecir | Oakland Athletics | Born with two club feet | [2] |
| 2004 | Brazelton, DewonDewon Brazelton | Tampa Bay Devil Rays | Reconstructive knee surgery and Tommy John surgery while in high school | [3] |
| 2005 | Cook, AaronAaron Cook | Colorado Rockies | Blood clots in both lungs | [4] |
| 2006 | Sanchez, FreddyFreddy Sanchez | Pittsburgh Pirates | Born with a club foot (right) and a severely pigeon-toed foot (left) | [5] |
| 2007 | Lester, JonJon Lester | Boston Red Sox | Diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 2006 | [6] |
| 2008 | Baldelli, RoccoRocco Baldelli | Tampa Bay Rays | Diagnosed with a mitochondrial disorder that causes chronic muscle fatigue | [7] |
| 2009 | Carpenter, ChrisChris Carpenter | St. Louis Cardinals | Had Tommy John surgery and nerve problems in his throwing arm | [8] |
| 2010 | Benoit, JoaquínJoaquín Benoit | Tampa Bay Rays | Sat out a year after a rotator cuff tear | [9] |
| 2011 | Campana, TonyTony Campana | Chicago Cubs | Diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma as a child | [10] |
| 2012 | Dickey, R.A.R.A. Dickey | New York Mets | Child sexual abuse, pitches without an ulnar collateral ligament in his right arm | [11] |
| 2013 | Lackey, JohnJohn Lackey | Boston Red Sox | Underwent Tommy John surgery in 2012 | [12] |
See also
- Baseball awards
Resource
- 2004 Boston Red Sox Media Guide
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Jason Heyward, Max Stassi hope for quick returns from pitches to face | MLB.com: News". Mlb.mlb.com. August 22, 2013. Retrieved October 15, 2013.
- ↑ "Jim Mecir voted 2003 Tony Conigliaro Award winner | oaklandathletics.com: Official Info". Oakland.athletics.mlb.com. Retrieved October 15, 2013.
- ↑ Devil Rays Public Relations. "Tampa Bay's Dewon Brazelton wins 2004 Tony Conigliaro Award | raysbaseball.com: News". Tampabay.rays.mlb.com. Retrieved October 15, 2013.
- ↑ "Cook inks two-year pact with Rockies". Retrieved April 10, 2008.
- ↑ "Freddy Sanchez wins 2006 Tony Conigliaro Award". Retrieved April 10, 2008.
- ↑ Wilbur, Eric (November 28, 2007). "Lester gets the honor". The Boston Globe.
- ↑ Times Editor (November 25, 2008). "Rocco Baldelli wins Tony Conigliaro Award | Tampa Bay Times". Tampabay.com. Retrieved October 15, 2013.
- ↑ Keefe, Neil (January 11, 2010). "Chris Carpenter Wins 2009 Tony Conigliaro Award | MLB". NESN.com. Retrieved October 15, 2013.
- ↑ "Benoit receives Conigliaro Award for comeback | tigers.com: News". Detroit.tigers.mlb.com. November 19, 2010. Retrieved May 20, 2013.
- ↑ By joeydafish on December 9, 2011 8:10 pm - Reply (December 9, 2011). "12/9 Tony C. wins Tony C. award « Muskat Ramblings". Muskat.mlblogs.com. Retrieved May 20, 2013.
- ↑ Pepin, Matt (December 6, 2012). "R.A. Dickey wins Tony Conigliaro Award". The Boston Globe.
- ↑ "John Lackey Wins 2013 Tony Conigliaro Award". Red Sox Press Release (MLB.com). December 3, 2013.
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