Brian Matusz is the Orioles nominee for the 2015 Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevrolet
Beginning on Roberto Clemente Day, Fans Can Vote on ChevyBaseball.com for the Overall Winner and Register for a Chance to Win a Trip to the 2015 World Series
Major League Baseball and Chevrolet, the official vehicle of MLB, today announced that BRIAN MATUSZ was named the Orioles 2015 nominee for the prestigious Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevrolet.
Wednesday, September 16th marks the fourteenth annual Roberto Clemente Day, which was established by Major League Baseball to honor Clemente's legacy and to officially recognize local Club nominees of the Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevrolet. Matusz is one of the 30 Club finalists for the annual award, which recognizes a Major League Baseball player who best represents the game of baseball through positive contributions on and off the field, including sportsmanship and community involvement. The Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevrolet pays tribute to Clemente's achievements and character by recognizing current players who truly understand the value of helping others.
On Wednesday, September 16, prior to the 7:05 p.m. game against the Boston Red Sox, the Orioles will observe Major League Baseball's annual Roberto Clemente Day and present pitcher Brian Matusz with the Roberto Clemente Award during an on-field ceremony. Matusz earned the Orioles 2015 nomination for his work with many charities in and around the Baltimore community, including Casey Cares, the Cool Kids Campaign, Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter, and the OriolesREACH Gameday Experience Program.
This year, Matusz served as the honorary "Race Ambassador" for the Casey Cares 5K Run/Walk at Oriole Park benefiting critically-ill children and their families. Leading up to the event, he helped to promote the race through radio and TV interviews by encouraging fans to participate. On the day of the 5K, Matusz joined 2,100 runners at the starting line to kick-off the race and participated in an on-field ceremony honoring the winners. The race raised more than $106,000 for the Casey Cares Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit that provides uplifting programs for critically-ill children and their families.
Additionally, Matusz has made frequent visits to the pediatric patients at the Herman and Walter Samuelson Children's Hospital at Sinai Hospital on behalf of the Casey Cares Foundation and partnered with Coca-Cola in a "Get the Ball Rolling" clinic to help educate area youth about the importance of living a healthy and balanced lifestyle. Matusz also contributes $5,000 annually to the OriolesREACH Ticket program, providing at-risk children with the opportunity to attend an Orioles game when they normally would not be able to.
As part of the ceremony in honor of Roberto Clemente, Matusz will present the Casey Cares Foundation with a $7,500 donation from Chevrolet.
The distinguished list of past Roberto Clemente Award winners includes 16 members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame:
1971 - Willie Mays+**
1972 - Brooks Robinson+**
1973 - Al Kaline+
1974 - Willie Stargell+
1975 - Lou Brock+
1976 - Pete Rose
1977 - Rod Carew+
1978 - Greg Luzinski
1979 - Andre Thornton
1980 - Phil Niekro+
1981 - Steve Garvey
1982 - Ken Singleton
1983 - Cecil Cooper
1984 - Ron Guidry
1985 - Don Baylor
1986 - Garry Maddox
1987 - Rick Sutcliffe
1988 - Dale Murphy
1989 - Gary Carter+
1990 - Dave Stewart
1991 - Harold Reynolds
1992 - Cal Ripken, Jr.+
1993 - Barry Larkin+
1994 - Dave Winfield+
1995 - Ozzie Smith+
1996 - Kirby Puckett+
1997 - Eric Davis
1998 - Sammy Sosa
1999 - Tony Gwynn+
2000 - Al Leiter
2001 - Curt Schilling
2002 - Jim Thome
2003 - Jamie Moyer
2004 - Edgar Martinez
2005 - John Smoltz+
2006 - Carlos Delgado
2007 - Craig Biggio+
2008 - Albert Pujols
2009 - Derek Jeter
2010 - Tim Wakefield
2011 - David Ortiz
2012 - Clayton Kershaw
2013 - Carlos Beltran
2014 - Paul Konerko *
2014 - Jimmy Rollins *
+ Member of The National Baseball Hall of Fame
* Co-winner
** Originally known as the Commissioner's Award (prior to 1973)
Beginning on Roberto Clemente Day, fans are encouraged to participate in the process of selecting the winner of the Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevrolet by visiting ChevyBaseball.com, which is powered by MLB Advanced Media, to vote for Matusz. Voting ends on Friday, October 9th, and participating fans will be automatically registered for a chance to win a trip to the 2015 World Series, where the winner of the Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevrolet will be announced.
Clubs playing at home on September 16th will recognize their local nominees as part of Roberto Clemente Day ceremonies, while visiting Clubs will honor their nominees before another September home game. As part of the league-wide celebration, the Roberto Clemente Day logo will appear on the bases and official dugout lineup cards and a special tribute video will be played in ballparks.
The concept of honoring players for their philanthropic work was created in 1971 as the "Commissioner's Award," but was renamed to the "Roberto Clemente Award" in 1973 in honor of the Hall of Famer and 15-time All-Star who died in a plane crash on New Year's Eve 1972 while attempting to deliver supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua. Each September since 2002, Major League Baseball has commemorated Roberto Clemente Day.