CLEVELAND — Cleveland Indians radio play-by-play announcer Tom Hamilton has been named a finalist for the 2020 Ford C. Frick Award, which is presented annually by the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum for excellence in baseball broadcasting.
Hamilton has been behind the microphone for Indians games for 30 years and has been the voice of three American League Championship teams, three World Series appearances (1995, 1997, 2016), 11 trips to the postseason and 10 AL Central Division champions during his tenure with the organization.
Former WKYC Sports anchor Joe Castiglione (Boston Red Sox), Jacques Doucet (Montreal Expos/Toronto Blue Jays French broadcaster), former Indians player Ken “Hawk” Harrelson (Red Sox/New York Yankees/Chicago White Sox), Pat Hughes (Minnesota Twins/Chicago Cubs), Ned Martin (Red Sox), Mike Shannon (St. Louis Cardinals) and Dewayne Staats (Tampa Bay Rays) join Hamilton as a finalist for the prestigious honor.
The winner of the award will be announced on December 11 at the Baseball Winter Meetings in San Diego and honored during the July 25 Awards Presentation as part of the Hall of Fame Induction Weekend at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York next summer.
According to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum’s Board of Directors, “Criteria for selection is as follows: “Commitment to excellence, quality of broadcasting abilities, reverence within the game, popularity with fans and recognition by peers.”
Past winners of the award include Mel Allen and Red Barber (1978), Ernie Harwell (1981), Vin Scully (1982), Jack Brickhouse (1983), Curt Gowdy (1984), Jack Buck (1987), Harry Caray (1989), Jimmy Dudley (1997), Marty Brennaman (2000), Bob Uecker (2003), Jon Miller (2010), Tim McCarver (2012), Dick Enberg (2015) and Bob Costas (2018), among dozens of other broadcasting legends.