Tony Conigliaro

For the bartender and mixologist of the same name, see Tony Conigliaro (mixologist).

Tony Conigliaro
Right fielder
Born: January 7, 1945(1945-01-07) Revere, Massachusetts
Died: February 24, 1990(1990-02-24) (aged 45) Salem, Massachusetts
Batted: Right	Threw: Right
MLB debut
April 16, 1964 for the Boston Red Sox
Last MLB appearance
June 12, 1975 for the Boston Red Sox
Career statistics
Batting average	.264
Home runs	166
Runs batted in	516
Teams
Boston Red Sox (1964–1967, 1969–1970) California Angels (1971) Boston Red Sox (1975)
Career highlights and awards
All-Star selection (1967) 1969 AL Comeback Player of the Year 1970 Hutch Award

Anthony Richard Conigliaro (January 7, 1945 - February 24, 1990), nicknamed "Tony C" and "Conig", was a Major League Baseball outfielder and right-handed batter who played for the Boston Red Sox (1964–67, 1969–1970, 1975) and California Angels (1971). He was born in Revere, Massachusetts, and was a 1962 graduate of St. Mary's High School (Lynn, Massachusetts). During the Red Sox "Impossible Dream" season of 1967, he was hit in the face by a pitch, causing a severe eye injury and derailing his career. Though he would make a dramatic comeback from the injury, his career was not the same afterwards.

Baseball career

Conigliaro was signed by the Red Sox in 1962, at the age of 17. In 1963, he batted .363 with 24 home runs in the New York - Penn League and was subsequently called up to the majors.

During his 1964 rookie season, Conigliaro batted .290 with 24 home runs and 52 RBI in 111 games, but broke his arm and his toes in August.

In his sophomore season in 1965, Conigliaro led the league in home runs (32), becoming the youngest home run champion in American League history. He was selected for the All-Star Game in 1967. In that season, at age 22, he reached a career total of 100 home runs.

On August 18, 1967, the Red Sox were playing the California Angels at Fenway Park. Conigliaro, batting against Jack Hamilton, was hit by a pitch on his left cheekbone, and was carried off the field on a stretcher. He sustained a linear fracture of the left cheekbone and a dislocated jaw with severe damage to his left retina. The batting helmet he was wearing did not have the protective ear-flap that has since become standard.

A year and a half later, Conigliaro made a remarkable return, hitting 20 homers with 82 RBI in 141 games, earning Comeback Player of the Year honors. In 1970, he reached career-high numbers in HRs (36) and RBI (116). That season he and his brother Billy formed two-thirds of the Red Sox outfield. After a stint with the Angels in 1971, he returned to the Red Sox briefly in 1975 as a DH, but was forced to retire because his eyesight had been permanently damaged.

Conigliaro batted .267, with 162 home runs and 501 RBI during his 802-game Red Sox career. With the Angels, he hit .222, 4 home runs, and 15 rbi, in 74 games. He holds the MLB record for most home runs (25) hit by a teenage player. He is the second-youngest player to hit his 100th homer (after Mel Ott in 1931), and the youngest American League player to do so.

Tony was also one of the first athletes to be featured in other entertainment venues. During the height of his popularity in 1965, he recorded, having a regional hit, "Little Red Scooter", which he performed on the Merv Griffin Show, among others.

Final years

After his retirement, Conigliaro joined KGO-TV Channel 7 in San Francisco as a sports anchor. On January 3, 1982, Conigliaro, in Boston to interview for a broadcasting position, suffered a heart attack while being driven to the airport by his brother Billy. Shortly thereafter, he suffered a stroke and lapsed into a coma. Conigliaro remained in basically a vegetative state until his death more than eight years later. He lived these final years at his parents' home in Nahant, Massachusetts. In February 1990, he died in Salem, Massachusetts at the age of 45. In commemoration, the Red Sox wore black armbands that season. He is buried in Holy Cross Cemetery, Malden, Massachusetts.

Currently, the Tony Conigliaro Award is given annually to the player who best overcomes an obstacle and adversity through the attributes of spirit, determination and courage that were trademarks of Conigliaro.

Conigliaro's Corner

For the start of the 2007 season, Red Sox ownership added a new 200-seat bleacher section on the right field roof, providing an additional 16,000 available tickets for the season. It was named "Conigliaro's Corner" in honor of Tony Conigliaro. The seats were being marketed specifically towards families. As of May 2007, the section was reserved for Red Sox Nation members on Saturdays and Red Sox Kid Nation members on Sundays. The seats were removed prior to the start of the 2009 season.

However, this little section of seats, (since removed as mentioned above), high above right field in foul territory was not the original "Conig's Corner". Long-time fans may recall that when Tony first was making his comeback, he complained about not being able to see the ball well coming from the pitcher's hand because of all of the brightly colored clothing being worn by fans directly behind the pitcher in dead center field. To address Tony's problem, these seats were first blocked off and covered in black tarp to provide a better hitter's background. This little triangular area of seats directly adjacent to the center field TV camera nest was the original Conig's Corner at Fenway Park. These same seats are still blocked off for day games (for the same reason), but their association with Tony C. appears to have been lost over the years.

Bibliography

• Seeing It Through, Macmillan, 1970. (with Jack Zanger)

See also

• Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame
• List of Major League Baseball home run champions

External links

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or The Baseball Cube
• "Tony C." by David Nevard

Preceded by Harmon Killebrew	American League Home Run Champion 1965	Succeeded by Frank Robinson
Preceded by Ken Harrelson	AL Comeback Player of the Year 1969	Succeeded by Clyde Wright