THE SIDELINES : Dravecky’s Courage Wins Award

Dave Dravecky, who battled cancer to keep pitching for the San Francisco Giants, has been voted the 1989 winner of the Hutch Award.

The Hutch Award honors the memory of Fred Hutchinson, who was managing the Cincinnati Reds when he died of cancer in 1964. The award, based on voting of a panel of broadcasters and sports writers, goes to an athlete who has overcome adversity while displaying character and competitive instincts.

The left-hander underwent surgery to remove a tumor from the deltoid muscle in his upper left arm on Oct. 7, 1988.

Although doctors warned he might never pitch again, Dravecky went through a rugged rehabilitation program. He started for the Giants Aug. 10 against the Cincinnati Reds and held them to one hit through seven innings and retired after the eighth, getting credit for a 4-3 victory.

He made his next start five days later in Montreal, but collapsed on the mound in pain with a fracture in the area of his previous surgery. He retired at the end of the season.