LYNN — The unveiling of the new Tony Conigliaro documentary at Lynn City Hall Friday took on the characteristics of an old-fashioned hot-stove baseball evening.
The just-about-filled orchestra seats at the auditorium were teeming with fans of all ages, some of them decked out in old, time-worn Red Sox jerseys from the 1960s, and carrying portfolios of photos from years gone by, most of them from the oh-too-brief period from 1964 through 1970 when Tony C, Swampscott’s and St. Mary’s own, graced the field at Fenway Park.
The night had multiple purposes. St. Mary’s used the occasion to unveil his portrait that will be hung in the newly-refurbished foyer outside the gym, which is named for Conigliaro but never formally so, according to Dr. John Dolan, head of school. Now, it is. The school also formally retired Conigliaro’s No. 12 — his uniform number at St. Mary’s.
The City of Lynn declared Friday “Tony C Day,” and mayor Thomas M. McGee presented a citation to Conigliaro’s brother, Richie.
And it was a night for fans who each have their own special memories of 1967 — the year the Red Sox, with Conigliaro in right field, shocked the baseball world by winning the American League pennant.
“My grandfather introduced me to the Red Sox in ‘67,” said Gov. Charlie Baker, who took part in the unveiling of the picture. “He bet me they would win the pennant. I was on the opposite side of that one.”
The Red Sox had finished a half-game out of last place the season before.
“The wonder of that place (Fenway Park) just exploded to me,” Baker said. “The tragic thing is that if that one pitch by Jack Hamilton (the one that beaned him and made him virtually blind in one eye) had been cut out of his life, he’d have ended up as one of the best hitters of all-time.”
Richard Johnson, curator of the New England Sports Museum, projected that with Conigliaro’s bat in the lineup at its best, he’d have hit 522 career home runs, led the Red Sox to world championships in 1967, ‘74 and ‘75, and played for 21 years.
The two-hour meet-and-greet prior to the film gave fans from as far back as the 1950s a chance to reminisce about their Fenway experiences.
“I was at Fenway the day Ted Williams hit that home run to where that red seat is now,” said Vinnie Digirolamo of Winthrop. “I was in the center field bleachers. The ball kept going up and up, and there was a guy sitting in the seat with a straw hat on, and it hit him right on the head.”
His friend, Peter Ottaviano, began his job as an usher at Fenway in 1967, and was standing at his designated spot, on the aisle in the box seats, next to the screen, on Aug. 18, when Conigliaro was hit by Hamilton’s pitch.
“I saw him (Hamilton) wind up and the ball come in, and ‘woooaaaah.’ Down he went.
“I was stunned,” Ottaviano said. “Of course, the game continued, but I’d have to say it was a very solemn atmosphere after that.”
Ottaviano worked during the 1967 and 1975 World Series, saying he liked ‘67 better.
“August Busch (owner of the Cardinals) threw a great party while they were here.”
McGee was 11 in 1967 and the whole triumph-to-tragedy of Conigliaro’s story always moved him.
“It was a storybook,” he said. “Youngest home run champion. Youngest player in American League history to hit 100 homers. And then, the tragedy of his career ending when it did. He basically never had his career.”
Steve Krause can be reached at [email protected].
