MLB PITCHER, HALL OF FAMER, AND OLYMPIAN TO PRESENT BASEBALL, SOFTBALL AWARDS IN OKC

Jan 13

OKLAHOMA CITY – Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw, Baseball Hall of Famer Ferguson Jenkins, and Olympian Michele Smith are scheduled to address the media in advance of the Warren Spahn Awards Gala.

The Spahn Award is presented annually to the best left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball. The award is based on a pitcher’s wins, strikeouts, and earned run average.

Organizers of the Warren Spahn Award announced Kershaw as the winner for the third time in four years. Kershaw is coming off a season in which he led the MLB with 21 wins. His 1.77 ERA was the best in baseball, and he recorded 239 strikeouts.

The Spahn 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.

Kershaw will be formally recognized at the Warren Spahn Award Gala, hosted by Oklahoma City’s Bricktown Rotary Club in conjunction with the Jim Thorpe Association on January 14th at the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame & Jim Thorpe Museum.

Ten top high school student-athletes will also be honored at the Gala, with five baseball players receiving the Ferguson Jenkins Award and five softball players receiving the Michele Smith Award.

The Ferguson Jenkins Award is presented in honor of Baseball Hall of Famer Ferguson Jenkins. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1991 after a 19-year career. The Michele Smith Award is named for former Olympic pitcher and Oklahoma State University All-American Michele Smith. A two-time United States Olympic Committee Sportswoman of the Year, Smith is a member of the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame.