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| Sport | Baseball |
|---|---|
| Awarded for | "Presented to a group of players or a specific team who are forever linked in baseball history." |
| Location | New York City, U.S. |
| Country | United States |
| Presented by | Baseball Writers' Association of America, New York chapter |
| History | |
| First award | 1995 |
| Website | nybbwaa.com |
TheWillie, Mickey and the Duke Award is presented annually by the New York chapter of theBaseball Writers' Association of America to a group of players, or a specific team, who are linked together by a single event or common attribute in baseball history.
The award is named after and in honor of the inaugural winners who made up the iconiccenterfield trio for each of the New York baseball teams in the 1950s:Willie Mays (New York Giants),Mickey Mantle (New York Yankees), andDuke Snider (Brooklyn Dodgers).
The award was created in 1995 byClaire Smith, then a sportswriter forThe New York Times, in part due to worries that attendance at the annualBaseball Writers' Association of America dinner would be curtailed due to the ongoingbaseball strike and in part to honor baseball people in baseball who were linked by a common attribute or an event.[1]
The inaugural winners of the award were its namesakes:Willie Mays,Mickey Mantle, andDuke Snider, centerfielders of the Major League teams ofNew York City in the 1950s – theNew York Giants, theNew York Yankees, and theBrooklyn Dodgers.[2]
The award has since been given annually to groups of players, managers, or coaches as well as iconic teams who are in some way linked together in baseball history.[1]
The Willie, Mickey & The Duke award will go to the 1969 Miracle Mets on the 50th anniversary of their championship season.
Individuals from the 1992 movie "A League of Their Own" about the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League will receive the Willie, Mickey & the Duke Award.
The 1999 Mets infield of John Olerud, Edgardo Alfonzo, Rey Ordóñez and Robin Ventura will get the Willie, Mickey and the Duke Award.
... Dave Winfield (Willie, Mickey and the Duke Award) gave a touching speech about battling Don Mattingly for the 1984 batting title.
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