Fauci awarded with rare Hutch Award, will throw ceremonial first pitch Aug. 9

Anthony Fauci Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, waves hello to the committee at the start of a House Committee on Appropriations subcommittee hearing, about the budget request for the National Institutes of Health, May 11, 2022, on Capitol Hill in Washington. Fauci, the government’s top infectious disease expert, says he plans to retire by the end of President Joe Biden’s term in January 2025. Fauci, 81, became director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in 1984 and has advised seven presidents. (Jacquelyn Martin/AP Photo, File)

By Frank Sumrall, MyNorthwest

SEATTLE — Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the Chief Medical Advisor to the President, has been named the recipient of the 2022 honorary Hutch Award. Fauci will accept the award in an on-field ceremony before the Mariners’ game Aug. 9 at T-Mobile Park before he throws out the ceremonial first pitch.

“He has demonstrated fearless leadership and dedication to our country,” the Fred Hutch organization wrote in a prepared statement. “We are honored to present him with this award in recognition of his decades of service to public health, unwavering belief in the power of science, and tireless efforts throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Fauci will join Dr. Lawrence Corey, the president and director emeritus of Fred Hutch Cancer Research Center for a fireside chat before the festivities at T-Mobile Park begin, covering a range of topics from HIV to pandemic preparedness.

“Given the pair’s longstanding friendship, I expect it will be a lively, illuminating conversation,” the statement continued. “The conversation will be livestreamed for the rest of our community of supporters on our YouTube channel and archived for later viewing.”

Fauci has served as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for nearly 40 years.

Created in 1965 in honor of the late Fred Hutchinson, the Hutch Award typically honors baseball greats who contribute to communities outside of the baseball diamond. Dee Gordon won the 55th Hutch Award for his involvement with Food for the Hungry, Striking Out Poverty, Boys & Girls Clubs, Seattle Children’s, Make-A-Wish Foundation, and Mariners Care. He also brought his Flash of Hope program to Seattle when he played for the Mariners from 2018 to 2020.

“Dr. Fauci embodies the steadfast and fearless leadership that made the Hutch Award’s namesake a pillar of Major League Baseball,” the prepared statement continued. “He joins former President Jimmy Carter as the only people to receive an honorary Hutch Award.”

This is not Fauci’s first time on the mound, as he threw out ceremonial first pitches twice before recently, once in 2017 and again in 2020.

His 2020 pitch did not go quite as planned.

Here’s hoping he’s worked on his throwing motion and improved his accuracy.

This story was originally published by MyNorthwest.