Matusz named Orioles nominee for Roberto Clemente Award

Major League Baseball and Chevrolet, the official vehicle of MLB, today announced that Brian Matusz was named the Orioles 2015 nominee for the prestigious Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevrolet.

Wednesday, September 16th marks the fourteenth annual Roberto Clemente Day, which was established by Major League Baseball to honor Clemente's legacy and to officially recognize local Club nominees of the Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevrolet. Matusz is one of the 30 Club finalists for the annual award, which recognizes a Major League Baseball player who best represents the game of baseball through positive contributions on and off the field, including sportsmanship and community involvement. The Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevrolet pays tribute to Clemente's achievements and character by recognizing current players who truly understand the value of helping others.

On Wednesday, September 16, prior to the 7:05 p.m. game against the Boston Red Sox, the Orioles will observe Major League Baseball's annual Roberto Clemente Day and present Matusz with the Roberto Clemente Award during an on-field ceremony. Matusz earned the Orioles 2015 nomination for his work with many charities in and around the Baltimore community, including Casey Cares, the Cool Kids Campaign, Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter, and the OriolesREACH Gameday Experience Program.

This year, Matusz served as the honorary "Race Ambassador" for the Casey Cares 5K Run/Walk at Oriole Park benefiting critically-ill children and their families. Leading up to the event, he helped to promote the race through radio and TV interviews by encouraging fans to participate. On the day of the 5K, Matusz joined 2,100 runners at the starting line to kick-off the race and participated in an on-field ceremony honoring the winners. The race raised more than $106,000 for the Casey Cares Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit that provides uplifting programs for critically-ill children and their families.

Additionally, Matusz has made frequent visits to the pediatric patients at the Herman and Walter Samuelson Children's Hospital at Sinai Hospital on behalf of the Casey Cares Foundation and partnered with Coca-Cola in a "Get the Ball Rolling" clinic to help educate area youth about the importance of living a healthy and balanced lifestyle. Matusz also contributes $5,000 annually to the OriolesREACH Ticket program, providing at-risk children with the opportunity to attend an Orioles game when they normally would not be able to.

As part of the ceremony in honor of Roberto Clemente, Matusz will present the Casey Cares Foundation with a $7,500 donation from Chevrolet.

Beginning on Roberto Clemente Day, fans are encouraged to participate in the process of selecting the winner of the Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevrolet by visiting ChevyBaseball.com, which is powered by MLB Advanced Media, to vote for Matusz. Voting ends on Friday, October 9th, and participating fans will be automatically registered for a chance to win a trip to the 2015 World Series, where the winner of the Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevrolet will be announced.

Clubs playing at home on September 16 will recognize their local nominees as part of Roberto Clemente Day ceremonies, while visiting Clubs will honor their nominees before another September home game. As part of the league-wide celebration, the Roberto Clemente Day logo will appear on the bases and official dugout lineup cards and a special tribute video will be played in ballparks.

The concept of honoring players for their philanthropic work was created in 1971 as the "Commissioner's Award," but was renamed to the "Roberto Clemente Award" in 1973 in honor of the Hall of Famer and 15-time All-Star who died in a plane crash on New Year's Eve 1972 while attempting to deliver supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua. Each September since 2002, Major League Baseball has commemorated Roberto Clemente Day.