(Photo Credit: Robert Hood/The Brunswick News)
Over the course of his career, Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright has recorded the final out to clinch a World Series, made it to multiple All-Star games, and established himself as one of the top pitchers in Major League Baseball.
But for all of his accolades and moments on the field, being honored as the 51st recipient of the prestigious Hutch Award, which is an award given to players displaying outstanding community service, is considered his biggest achievement yet.
“What this award stands for means so much more to me than any achievement on the ball-field could ever mean to me,” Wainwright said.
Since 1965, the Hutch Award has been presented by the Seattle-based Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, and it’s in honor of Major League player and manager Fred Hutchinson, who died of cancer in 1964 at the age of 45 years old. Wainwright now joins an elite, as well as short, list of players, most of whom are Hall of Fame players in Cooperstown.
Some of the famous names that have been honored are Mickey Mantle, Sandy Koufax, Carl Yastrzemski, Pete Rose, Joe Torre, Willie McCovey, Willie Stargell, Lou Brock, George Brett and Johnny Bench.
Wainwright and his wife, Jenny, founded and run the Adam and Jenny Wainwright 25:35 Foundation. Following the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the foundation was created to helped rebuild an orphanage as well as help take part in a clean-water project as part of the clean-up.
“I’ve been tremendously blessed with talent and fortune,” Wainwright said. “What an incredible waste of life it would be if I didn’t give back.” He added that “to know that there are people who actually think that the work my wife and I are doing around the globe makes a difference is truly special.”
For more information regarding the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and the Hutch Award can all be found at www.fhcrc.org.
