Jim Abbott

Famed Major League Baseball Jim Abbott overcame the birth defect of having only one hand to become a professional pitcher and ball player. Through his journey filled with anecdotes, challenges, and determination, he demonstrates that perceived limitations can be surmounted to achieve dreams.

Abbott was born without a right hand. As a youngster, he spent hours bouncing a ball off a wall to practice fielding and throwing. Despite his congenital limb difference, Abbott's father supported him in finding ways to win. He was the starting quarterback on his high school football team, which went to the finals of the Michigan State championship. His performance as a pitcher lent him enough promise to be drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays shortly after graduation, but instead, he chose to attend the University of Michigan on a baseball scholarship. Here he excelled, earning a career record of 26 wins and eight losses.

In 1987, as a member of Team USA, Abbott made history by becoming the first American pitcher in 25 years to beat a Cuban team on Cuban soil. The team won a silver medal at the Pan-American Games and Abbott won the US Baseball Federation's Golden Spikes Award as the best amateur player in the country. He also received the James E. Sullivan Award as the nation's outstanding amateur athlete the same year. In the 1988 Olympics, he was the pivotal pitcher in a 5-3 victory over Japan that brought the US its first gold medal in baseball.

Abbott bypassed the minor leagues and went directly from the University of Michigan to the Angels’ starting rotation in the spring of 1989. Despite initial skepticism, Abbott proved his strength by winning 12 games with a 3.92 ERA in his rookie season. He was also adept at the field, quickly transferring his right-hander's fielder's glove to his left hand to handle any balls hit back to him after delivering a pitch.

In 1991, he proved to be one of the best young left-handers in the game, winning 18 games for the Angels while maintaining a 2.89 ERA. He was traded to the Yankees in December 1992, and in the following year, he pitched a no-hitter against the Cleveland Indians. After a brief stint with the Chicago White Sox in 1995 and return to the Angels, Abbott faced a challenging season in 1996 when he lost 11 straight games and finished with a 2-18 record. Taking this in stride, he took a hiatus for a season and then made a successful comeback with the White Sox in 1998.

Abbott's inspiring journey and achievements, including being inducted into the National College Baseball Hall of Fame, being awarded the Tony Conigliaro Award in 1992, being named one of the 12 recipients of the Henry Viscardi Achievement Awards in 2014, and having his autobiography, "Imperfect: An Improbable Life," published in April 2012, are a testament to his courage and perseverance in overcoming his disability to excel in his sport.

Abbott serves as a motivational speaker, drawing on his experiences to inspire others to overcome challenges and strive for success.