Justin Turner has won Major League Baseball’s Roberto Clemente Award for character, community involvement and philanthropy.
The Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman was to be presented the award before Game 3 of the World Series on Monday night, two years after he was criticized by the commissioner’s office for violating coronavirus protocols by celebrating with teammates following the title-winning Game 6.
Turner, 37, was nominated for the award for the fifth time this year.
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“It feels like (everything) has really taken off since the day I put the Dodger uniform on,” Turner said. “So obviously, it’s very special to me, growing up in Southern California and getting to wear that jersey and be a part of an organization that has so much history and has so many people who have impacted the game in so many different ways. I’m just trying to do my little part.”
The Justin Turner Foundation, funded by Turner and wife Kourtney in 2016, supports homeless veterans, children and families battling diseases and illnesses, also helps youth baseball organizations and holds an annual golf tournament that raised $650,000 this year for The Dream Center and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.
Turner and his wife donated $100,000 to The Dream Center, which supports the homeless and hungry, to fund its foster care intervention program. The center last year renamed its food bank after Turner and his wife.
Turner and his wife donated more than $100,000 for Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, where he serves on the board of directors, and they provided more than 70,000 toys and 14,000 bicycles to children in Los Angeles. They also visit patients at UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital, serving as hosts of its Walk and Play LA event, and at Cedars Sinai Hospital. They sent get-well videos to children around the country and serve as honorary hosts for CHLA’s Walk and Play LA event.
The foundation supports AM 570′s Veterans Day Radio-a-thon that aids the Dream Center’s veterans program.
He served as race starter for this year’s LA Marathon, helping raise more than $70,000, and his foundation helped renovate Transition House, a downtown Los Angeles facility for homeless veterans.
A two-time All-Star, Turner would become eligible for free agency after the World Series if the Dodgers decline a $16 million option in favor of a $2 million buyout.
Turner was pulled from Game 6 two years ago after the seventh inning when MLB was notified he tested positive for COVID-19. Turner refused instructions from security to leave the field during the postgame celebration, behavior MLB said risked the safety of others.
