MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN – OCTOBER 09: Commentator Tim Kurkjian on the field prior to game 2 of the National League Division Series between the Atlanta Braves and Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field on October 09, 2021 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
Longtime MLB reporter Tim Kurkjian has been named the 2022 winner of the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) Career Excellence Award.
The news was announced today by the National Baseball Hall of Fame and museum. Kurkjian will be honored at the 2022 Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Cooperstown next summer.
The Career Excellence Award is presented yearly “for meritorious contributions to baseball writing.” The reaction to the news from Kurkjian’s peers says it all.
Congratulatioons @Kurkjian_ESPN ! https://t.co/GUH9POVMET
— Patrick Creighton (@PCreighton1) December 7, 2021
No better person and no one more deserving that my friend Tom.
You know him, you love him @Kurkjian_ESPN https://t.co/4w05SF307c— Adnan Virk (@adnansvirk) December 7, 2021
Feel for finalists Marty Noble and Allan Simpson, who were also deserving. But this was a, “You mean Tim Kurkjian wasn’t already in the Hall of Fame?” vote. #9sports https://t.co/mLX1WJyXYJ
— Mike Klis (@mikeklis) December 7, 2021
congrats, @Kurkjian_ESPN! https://t.co/g2aMZwneFB
— Jay Jaffe (@jay_jaffe) December 7, 2021
Well deserved https://t.co/Tv96vdxRV9
— Antwan V. Staley (@antwanstaley) December 7, 2021
Sometimes fans wonder “does [baseball media person] even LIKE baseball?” Well Tim Kurkjian’s love for the game is clear to see, and his work over the years has influenced me as someone who also loves the fun stories and neat stats surrounding this weird, weird sport. https://t.co/yrQMDVeI4m
— James Smyth (@JamesSmyth621) December 7, 2021
This is long overdue. @Kurkjian_ESPN has a love for the game that few can match. He’s a first-rate journalist and one of the best teammates I’ve ever been around. He embodies everything this award should be. Congratulations! https://t.co/kuy03UITtO
— Jerry Crasnick (@jcrasnick) December 7, 2021
Never met Tim, but from afar, what’s always stood out through his segments on TV, is the joyful prism through which he has always seemed to view the game. So awesome. This is so well-deserved. https://t.co/soeQ3AnQHU
— Alec Lewis (@alec_lewis) December 7, 2021
Kurkjian has been at ESPN since 1998, first joining the Worldwide Leader as a columnist and then later serving as a reporter/analyst/host on “Baseball Tonight.”
Prior to arriving at ESPN, Kurkjian worked at Sports Illustrated for seven years. The Bethesda, Md. native began his career as a beat writer, covering the Texas Rangers and Baltimore Orioles.
Hats off to Kurkjian for this well-deserved accomplishment.