HARTSVILLE - The Southeastern Baseball Classic has announced that four-time all-star Tommy John will be the featured speaker at their opening ceremonies 6:30p.m. April 7 at Jimmy White Stadium.
The opening ceremonies are part of the 14-year tradition for this prestigious high school tournament that includes traditional in-state South Carolina powerhouses and nationally ranked out of state teams.
The ceremony begins with the Parade of Teams, continues with a welcome from the organizers, a motivational talk from a guest speaker, presentation of the $2,000 and $1,000 Academic Leadership Scholarships and concludes with a spectacular fireworks display. Following the ceremonies the evening concludes with a nightcap game between host Hartsville and one of the visiting teams. This year the Red Fox opponent will be Hedgesville from West Virginia.
Despite rough beginnings and setbacks along the way, John eventually became one of the most well known and inspiring Major League Baseball pitchers of all time.
John made his major league debut for the Cleveland Indians on Sept. 6, 1963, at age 20. He went 0-2 for the Indians in 1963 and was 2-9 in 1964. After two years of disappointment, the Indians traded him to the Chicago White Sox.
Over the course of the next seven seasons, John became a left-handed control artist for the White Sox until his trade to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1972. During his 1974 season, John permanently damaged the ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching arm, and a miraculous revolutionary surgical operation was performed. The operation, widely known today as Tommy John surgery, replaced the ligament in the elbow of his pitching arm with a tendon from his right forearm.
John went on to pitch until 1989 and earned 164 of his 288 victories after his surgery. John retired at 23rd on the all-time win list, sixth in games started, 17th in innings pitched and 26th in shutouts. In 1976, he was given the National League Comeback Player of the Year Award by The Sporting News.
Today, managed and staffed completely by non-paid volunteers, the Southeastern Baseball Classic aims to promote the game of baseball, to enhance the lives of athletes through competition and scholarship and to involve the community by assembling sportsmen in tournament play. It is one of the great small town success stories.
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