One of the best athletes of his era, Tony Conigliaro was someone who had a great future ahead of him. People looked at him as a potential all-time great, yet he was set back by a series of misfortunes and a tragic death.
To this day, the story of Conigliaro is still remembered in Boston, as the team named a section in the outfield of Fenway Park in 2007 "Congliaro's Corner" in memory of Tony C.
Born in Revere, Mass. on Jan. 7, 1945, Anthony Richard Conigliaro, had lived in the Massachusetts area for all of his life and attended St. Mary's High School in Lynn, Mass.
After graduating high school in 1962, he had tremendous talent for baseball and was also a class act. His talent for baseball got him a contract with the Boston Red Sox organization. After a short, two year stint in the minor leagues, Conigliaro was called up to the majors.
In his rookie season, Conigliaro got his promising young career off to a great start by hitting 24 home runs, knocking in 52 runs, and hitting .290 in the greater part of his rookie campaign.
His rookie year was cut short with injuries to his arms and his toes which took him out for a good portion of the season. He did not win Rookie of the Year that season, though many felt he still could have.
Conigliaro had his head up high the following season, in hopes he would finish the year on a better note. That he did and he led the major leagues in home runs by hitting 32 and was selected to his first ever All Star game at the tender age of only twenty-two. He also became the youngest player to reach 100 home runs at that young age.
Still succeeding throughout his baseball career, one tragedy struck Conigliaro that put his life in jeopardy.
On Aug. 17, 1967, the Red Sox were facing the California Angels. It was just your average night game. The sun had set, the lights were shining bright in Fenway Park, and the fans were as crazy as ever. The night had been different than no other; that is, until Conigliaro's first at-bat.
He was set to face Jack Hamilton, a mediocre pitcher with control issues who had just set down the first two batters of the inning. Congliaro was now up to bat. He had leaned in the batter's box and was looking for a big base hit. Fans were cheering loudly for him as there were two outs in the inning. Hamilton came inside with a pitch that struck Tony C. in the left cheekbone, and Conigliaro fell straight to the ground and in excruciating pain.
Not only was the cheekbone shattered, but he also suffered a serious injury to his left retina.
He was carried off the field in a stretcher with all the players and fans in a hush as the medics rushed to his body. Conigliaro's career—and even his very life—was in jeopardy. They carried him off the field as their was distress amongst the baseball world.
Conigliaro was found to be blinded 48 hours after the injury, and when his vision finally began to come back, it was nothing like it used to be. He was looked at as a lost cause, someone who had nothing left to live for. All those around him were deeply affected as Tony C. spiraled into depression.
Former Red Sox Trainer Buddy LeRoux said, "How can you blame a 23-year-old kid who finds out he can't see?"
Though the odds were against him again, Conigliaro and his family did not give up this case. His father offered eye transplants and his mother prayed novenas to St. Jude who was the saint of hopeless cases. Though the transplant was not able to happen, Tony's eyes slightly improved and had set his sights towards returning to baseball the following season.
Now seeking a comeback the following spring, Conigliaro was looking to revert back to his old ways, yet could not hit due to his poor eyesight. He would consistently strike out and swing at all pitches that were thrown to him, even ones that were way outside and he was losing hope of becoming the player he once was. Tony C. kept coming because he just wanted to play ball with an injury or not. Baseball was his life, his love, his passion and he wanted to just be a normal person again.
He was hit in the ribs during the spring and was very angry with the man who beaned him (Dick Williams) and he had lashed out. He was known to speak his mind a little too often, and was frequently booed out of Fenway Park, according to former Sox star Bill Lee before the injury to Conigliaro.
“Tony is outspoken and can be headstrong,” Lee commented. “But he is intensely determined and ambitious, and his ego is half the reason he hits like he does.”
We're going to send you the most entertaining Boston Red Sox articles, videos, and podcasts from around the web.
37 Comments
Loading more comments...
This comment and all replies have been deleted This comment has been deleted Undo delete