We are pleased to announce Gio Gonzalez of the Washington Nationals as the 2012 Warren Spahn Award winner.
The Warren Spahn Award is presented annually to the best left-handed
pitcher in Major League Baseball. The award is named after Oklahoman and
National Baseball Hall of Famer Warren Spahn, who holds the MLB record
of 363 wins as a left-handed pitcher. Spahn Award rankings are based on a
pitcher’s wins, strikeouts and earned run average.
Gonzalez is a two-time All-Star and a key component to the Nationals’ first division title since moving to Washington, D.C.
The
Spahn Award is presented at the annual Warren Spahn Award Gala, hosted
in January by Oklahoma City’s Bricktown Rotary Club and Jim Thorpe
Association. The Gala will be at the Jim Thorpe Association and Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame Museum on January 17, 2013.
Past Spahn Award winners include: Clayton Kershaw (2011); David Price (2010); CC Sabathia (2007 –
2009); Johan Santana (2004, 2006); Dontrelle Willis (2005); Andy
Pettitte (2003); and Randy Johnson (1999 – 2002).
Click here to view the Warren Spahn Gala video.
Click here to view Warren Spahn Gala photos.
The Warren Spahn Awards Gala is a time to remember
the accomplishments of three great men and to celebrate the
accomplishments of professional athletes, professional sportscasters,
and student athletes and coaches. The Gala is centered on the
accomplishments of Warren Spahn. Spahn is considered the greatest
left-handed pitcher of all time in the Major Leagues and the Warren
Spahn Award is given to the outstanding Left Handed Pitcher from the
previous season.
For the first nine years, the Gala was hosted at the beautiful Masonic
Temple in Guthrie, OK. In 2008, the Warren Spahn Awards Gala moved from
Guthrie to Oklahoma City. The Gala was moved in connection with the
Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame partnering with the Bricktown Rotary Club
to be the presenting sponsor of the Gala and the merger of the Sports
Hall of Fame with the Jim Thorpe Association.
After two years in Oklahoma City, the Warren Spahn Awards Gala has
become a premier event in the State of Oklahoma. In fact, the Gala is
the only event in Oklahoma in which a major league athlete is honored
for their accomplishments on the playing field. The Gala raises funds
for the Bricktown Rotary Club and the Jim Thorpe Association, which are
two charitable organizations that support many outstanding causes that
benefit underprivileged children and individuals.
Organizers and sponsors of the Warren Spahn Award Gala will present
three major awards at the event. The Warren Spahn Award will be
presented to the best left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball; the
Bill Teegins Award will be presented to an outstanding sports
broadcaster with Oklahoma ties; and the Ferguson Jenkins Award will be
presented to 10 high school athletes and the outstanding high school
baseball and softball coaches in Oklahoma.
The Warren Spahn Awards Gala will take place:
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Jim Thorpe Museum
4040 North Lincoln
Oklahoma City, Ok
6:00pm - 7:00pm Vip Reception
7:00pm - 9:00pm Dinner and Ceremony
Gio Gonzalez Wins Battle for 2012 Warren Spahn Award
OKLAHOMA CITY, October 4, 2012—The Warren Spahn Award board of
directors announced today that Gio Gonzalez of the Washington Nationals
is the 2012 Spahn Award winner.
The Spahn Award is presented annually by the Bricktown Rotary Club of
Oklahoma City and the Jim Thorpe Association to the best left-handed
pitcher in Major League Baseball based on a pitcher’s wins, strikeouts
and earned run average. Farmers Insurance is the presenting sponsor of
the award, named after the Oklahoman and national Baseball Hall of
Famer Warren Spahn, who holds the MLB record of 363 wins as a
left-handed pitcher.
Gonzalez, a Florida native, ended the season with 21 wins, 207 strikeouts and an ERA of 2.89.
“I’m honored to even be mentioned in the same breath as Warren Spahn
and the past winners of this award. I truly am humbled by this
recognition,” Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez is a two-time All-Star and a key component to the Nationals’ first division title since moving to Washington, D.C.
Greg Spahn, son of the late Warren Spahn and member of the Spahn Award
board of directors, said Gonzalez represents the award well.
“Gio had a great season and is an outstanding player. Gio’s talent on
the field and his work off the field to give scholarships to young
people through his foundation are tremendous attributes. My dad would
have been proud that Gio has won this award.”
This year’s race for the Spahn Award was the closest in the history of
the award with the difference being Gonzalez’s one additional win over
Tampa Bay’s David Price. In fact, the two Cy Young contenders tied for
the Warren Spahn Award. Because the tiebreaker is most wins, Gonzalez
was declared the award winner.
Bill Hickman, chair of the Warren Spahn Award board said it was decided
years ago that the most wins would be the tiebreaker because Spahn is
the winningest left-handed pitcher in Major League history with 363
wins.
“For the first time in the 14-year history of the Spahn Award, four
different lefties have won the award in four consecutive years. This is
a testament to the tremendous depth and quality of left-handed pitching
we are currently seeing in Major League Baseball.”
Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers won in 2011, David Price of
the Tampa Bay Rays won in 2010, and CC Sabathia of the New York Yankees
won in 2009.
The Spahn Award is presented at a black tie gala in Oklahoma City.
Farmers Insurance, the nation’s third largest insurer of both personal
lines automobile and homeowners insurance, is the presenting sponsor of
the award.
Erin Freeman, Farmers chief communications officer, said the company is
once again honored to be the presenting sponsor of the Warren Spahn
Award.
“Both Warren and Gio are examples of what our company strives for every
day—to excel in what we do professionally and to ensure that by giving
back to the community we leave this world a little bit better today
than it was yesterday,” Freeman said. “We look forward to presenting
the award to Gio in Oklahoma City in January.”
The proceeds from the Warren Spahn Award Gala support various
charitable causes for children and the underprivileged such as the Jim
Thorpe Association’s Red Ribbon Drug Free Awareness campaign for
Oklahoma school children, the Oklahoma City Police Athletic League,
Lawyers for Children, NewView, Youth Services of Oklahoma County for
homeless children and many other youth initiatives.
Past Spahn Award winners include: Clayton Kershaw (2011); David Price
(2010); CC Sabathia (2007-2009); Dontrelle Willis (2005); Andy Pettitte
(2003); and Randy Johnson (1999-2002).
For more information, please visit www.OKCSpahnAwards.com.