September 4th, 1993, baseball players of the New York Yankees jumped from the bench to congratulate their pitcher. Jim Abbott just ended the first no-hitter game of his career. He had a black baseball glove which hid the fact he was born without a right hand.
Play Baseball, No Matter What
Jim has the constriction ring syndrome, a congenital and not fully understood disease. As a result he does not have the right hand. He could not play his favorite sport, baseball, like the rest of the boys. Nevertheless, he managed to use his left hand to catch the ball.
As a result, the pitcher was noticed immediately after he came of age. He chose to attend the University of Michigan. For three seasons, he led the local team to two national titles in 1987 and won the award as the best student-athlete.
Professional Career
Jim’s professional career started in 1989. Unlike his years as a student, it was not so rosy. The pitcher achieved local success, but in 1996 Jim’s performance was so poor that the California Angels had to expel him.
Then, in 1996, everyone decided that Abbot had finished his baseball career. However, the call from Jim’s first coach changed the situation. They started training together. In 1998 the baseball player returned to MLB and won five games playing for the Chicago White Sox.
“People say that I have overcome obstacles. Maybe. But the truth is that I lived a happy life. I was given much more than taken in return”, says Jim Abbott. In 2012, he published his autobiography. His love for sports is stronger than a disease.
You can also read fascinating facts about baseball.
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