Beckwith has been battling colon cancer for two-and-a-half years, and as hard as some days are for the Auburn native and former Auburn University standout he was determined to not let it stop him – especially not on this day. Auburn High School was set to celebrate Beckwith’s achievements with a pregame ceremony that afternoon, and Beckwith fully intended on being there whether he felt like it or not.

“I told my doctor, John Abrams, ‘John, you’ve got to get me out of this hospital and get me to the ballpark,’” Beckwith told the fans at Auburn High on Wednesday. “He said, ‘Well, you might just need to stay here.’ I said, ‘Well, you better get me to that ballpark because this is the biggest day of my life.’”

Wednesday’s ceremony – which also saw Auburn mayor Ron Anders deliver a proclamation declaring it Joe Beckwith Day – was just the start of a big week for Beckwith. His other alma mater, Auburn University, celebrated Joe Beckwith Night prior to the Tigers’ game against Florida on Friday.

Beckwith made a name for himself in Auburn first through his playing success from the Dixie Youth league all the way to two World Series championships and later by moving back and becoming an ever-present part of the community.

Even in the midst of his strenuous cancer battle, Beckwith remained grateful for the recognition and steadfast in wanting to help the people around him.

“It’s inspiring to see the people I know and the people I don’t know that are here,” Beckwith said after the ceremony Wednesday. “I hope that I can make some kind of impact on them and their lives as well as their children’s. That’s important to me.”

An Auburn ManWhen it comes to homegrown baseball talent in Auburn, Beckwith will always be the first to go from the Plains to the pros.

The son of longtime Auburn University director of ticket sales Bill Beckwith and his wife, Marjorie, Joe Beckwith grew up playing baseball in the area and rose through the rec league ranks before deciding in his junior year to stick strictly to pitching. He excelled as a senior in 1973 during a season in which the Tigers reached the state championship series for the first time ever.

Beckwith stayed close to home after high school and pitched at Auburn University, where he again had outstanding success. He earned All-SEC honors twice and was an instrumental part of the 1976 Tigers’ team that reached the College World Series for only the second time in program history.

Beckwith played four years at Auburn and left with the most complete games (20), shutouts (6), career victories (31), ERA for a four-year pitcher (1.92), career strikeouts (241) and innings pitched (338). He was also Auburn’s starting pitcher in the first night game ever held at Plainsman Park.

Beckwith was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1977 and worked his way up to the Major League level over the next two years as a relief pitcher. His debut with Los Angeles on July 21, 1979 still stands as the only time an Auburn High baseball player reached the Majors.

Beckwith was with the Dodgers when they won the World Series in 1981, although he was not able to play due to injury.

Beckwith stayed with the Dodgers until 1984, when he joined the Kansas City Royals. He reached the pinnacle of his playing career on October 23, 1985, when he took the mound in Game 4 of the World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Beckwith, who had not pitched in 17 days, entered the game in relief of starter Bud Black with the Royals trailing 3-0. Although a lead-off double by St. Louis second baseman Tom Herr made for an uncomfortable start, Beckwith settled in and retired the next three batters then threw another inning with no hits allowed. Kansas City ultimately won the World Series in seven games.

“It was totally different than ever pitching in a game. It was the biggest thrill of my life,” Beckwith said. “I knew my dad was sitting up in the stands. I came on, and I looked up in the stands at the row he bought and said, ‘OK, Dad, this is what I came here for.’ … That was the ultimate [experience] that any boy could ever, ever want.”

Coming back home

Beckwith retired from baseball following the 1986 season, and after spending a few years in Atlanta he moved back to Auburn and began working in the concrete industry. His return allowed him to lend a helping hand locally by coaching Little League baseball and softball.

In 2004 Beckwith coached the Alabama Dixie Youth state champions, and the following year he served as an honorary chairman at the Dixie Youth World Series hosted in Auburn.

“[Moving back] was something I always wanted to do. I had gone away for 10 years playing pro ball in the minors and the big leagues, and then I was in Atlanta for two or three years with a company. Then I came back to Auburn,” Beckwith said. “A kid who grows up here in Auburn and has some success like I had, you can do the things that you enjoy and the people that are around you are great. I appreciate that.”

Beckwith’s name was added to downtown Auburn’s Tiger Trail in 1996 with a marker located on North College St. Eight years later, he became the first Auburn High alum inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame.

Beckwith’s latest recognitions from his two alma maters come during an incredibly trying time. Beckwith explained his stage 4 colon cancer has gone metastatic and that the outlook is not very good, but nevertheless he plans to keep fighting.

The Auburn High stands were packed Wednesday for Beckwith’s big moment, and the support that still surrounds him was even more obvious after the fact. Following the ceremony, Beckwith spent several minutes greeting various people – golfing buddies, neighbors, former classmates – who approached him, shared memories from years ago and offered words of encouragement about his road ahead.

Beckwith has been an Auburn favorite going back to his high school days, and he’s returned the favor by always keeping his hometown close to his heart. The former big leaguer had fans cheering for him Wednesday like he did during his playing days, and he showed the same determination then as he did as the young right-hander just trying to record another out.

“It’s been a tough road right now fighting cancer. It’s not an easy battle. It’s a deadly disease that’s hard to recover from, but I will fight it to the end,” Beckwith told the crowd Wednesday.

“It’s like I’m in the ninth inning right now. I’m in the ninth inning and we’re ahead by one, and I’m going to keep that score. We’re going to win this game, and we’re going to win this battle.”