The Red Sox will unveil a display Friday at Fenway Park honoring former outfielder Tony Conigliaro. The display, which will be revealed 50 years after the tragic facial injury that cut short Conigliaro's prodigious career, will feature photos and memorabilia from his playing career in Boston.
Conigliaro enjoyed a charmed rookie season in 1964, in which he batted .290 with 24 home runs and 52 RBIs in only 111 games. That included a towering blast in Conigliaro's first game at Fenway on April 17, 1964. Conigliaro hit 32 round-trippers the following season to become the youngest home run champ in American League history. He holds the Major League record for most home runs hit as a teenager with 24, and remains the youngest player in AL history to hit 100 home runs, reaching the century mark at 22 years and 197 days old.
A promising, possibly historic career was changed forever Aug. 18, 1967, when Angels pitcher Jack Hamilton hit Conigliaro on his left cheekbone. The young slugger's sight was permanently altered, and though he returned in 1969, he was never the same player. Conigliaro passed away from kidney failure in 1990 at the age of 45.
A glass display case near Gate C at Fenway Park will be unveiled to the public Friday with Conigliaro's brothers Billy and Richie in attendance alongside Red Sox president and CEO Sam Kennedy. The display will include Conigliaro's helmet, Red Sox jersey and AL Championship ring from the 1967 "Impossible Dream" season.