Baseball is a game that requires its athletes to run and hit, catch and throw a ball. We know gambling as America’s pastime and it’s as summery as possible. Boys and girls play young in hopes of one day making it to the big leagues, but the big leagues are only for the elite. What if you have a disability then? Well, if you’re Jim Abbott, it’s no big deal.

Jim Abbott was born in Flint Michigan and attended the University of Michigan. He excelled in both baseball and soccer, albeit without the use of his right hand, as he was born without one. Now for some, that disability would be too much to overcome and they certainly wouldn’t think they can play a sport and do it well, but Jim Abbott is not your usual disabled person, first he does not consider himself disabled. Instead, he has different capabilities and as a pitcher he found a way to pitch and then prepare to catch everything in the blink of an eye.

If you ever saw Abbott pitch, you would have realized how quickly he went from pitcher to infielder, without missing a beat. He would hold the glove between his arm and his body and then, when necessary, put it on ready to catch, if there was one. Abbott played for the California Angels, the New York Yankees, the Chicago White Sox and the Milwaukee Brewers in his 10-year major league career. He didn’t have to hit when he was in the American League since they have the designated hitter, but when he played for the National League team, he also had to have his turn at bat. A gun hitting may not be easy, but he made a concerted effort anyway.

Jim Abbott won many awards, including the James E Sullivan Award for Best Amateur Athlete in the Nation in 1987 and the Golden Spikes Award, also in 1987. In 1988 he won a gold medal at the Olympics when baseball was not yet it was an official Olympic tournament. sport. He also pitched a no-hitter, something most pitchers only dream of, in 1993.

Jim Abbott may have been born without a hand, but it didn’t stop him from doing what he loved to do and doing well. He just found a different way of doing things and took advantage of it.