The incredible story of Jim Abbott, baseball's one-handed pitcher

Jim Abbott had an 11-year career in the MLB, competing in 263 games in the big leagues, with a record of 87-108. A solid, if unremarkable career for most pitchers, yet Abbott was able to overcome an obstacle most would think is impossible, he was born with only one functioning hand. So, how exactly did he do it?

Abbott was born in Flint, Michigan in 1967. His parents, Mike and Kathy were still teenagers when they had Jim. Both parents decided despite Jim’s disability, they would encourage him to live as normal life as possible.

Despite Mike and Kathy Abbott wanting their son to play sports like any other kid, initially, they were pushing him towards sports that didn’t rely on the use of his hands. Despite this, Abbott was always obsessed with baseball.

Jim was set on learning the sport, however, so he spent hours as a child practicing a technique unique to him. Abbott would sit facing a wall and throw the ball with his functioning left hand, resting his glove on his right wrist. By the time the ball had come back to him, he would flip the glove on.

In a 1998 USA Today interview, when asked about his son’s sporting career and how he overcame his disability, Mike Abbott said, “We decided that if Jim wanted to [play sports] then to let him try, I helped out with some things. But in the end it was all Jim. It had to be.”

When Jim first started to attend school, he was fitted with a prosthetic arm which he would nickname the ‘hook’. The metal and fiberglass contraption scared Jim’s schoolmates and he despised the mechanical hand, eventually, he was given permission to stop wearing it.

Never one to shy away from a challenge, Abbott was also a standout quarterback at his high school, Flint Central High School.

Abbott spent his high school years dominating as a starting pitcher for his school and playing in competitive summer leagues when he could. His performances were good enough to get drafted in the 36th round of the MLB draft by the Toronto Blue Jays.

Rather than sign with the Blue Jays, Abbott decided to play for the Michigan Wolverines at the collegiate level.

Whilst at Michigan, Abbott was once again a standout player, leading the Wolverines to two Big Ten Conference championships and winning the James E. Sullivan Award in 1987, given to the best amateur athlete in America.

The 1988 Seoul Olympics featured baseball as a showcase sport. Abbott was a key part of the American team that would take home an unofficial gold medal.

The 1988 MLB draft saw Abbott taken with the eighth overall pick by the California Angels, just a slight improvement on the 36th round where he was previously selected!

Unusually for a pitching prospect, Abbott joined the Angels’ starting pitching rotation straight away, eschewing the minor leagues. The 1989 season saw Abbott go 12-12 as a starter and finish fifth in Rookie of the Year voting.

Abbott’s first few years were up and down, going 18-11 in 1991 before falling back to 7-15 in 1992. In an effort to trim the payroll, the Angels traded Abbott to the New York Yankees before the start of the 1993 season.

In September of 1993, Jim Abbott would pitch a no-hitter for the New York Yankees. One of only 318 no-hitters in MLB history, this achievement is something many dream of, but few can accomplish.

Abbott spent the next six seasons playing for various teams around the MLB, never quite hitting the heights his potential suggested. Before his retirement in 1999, Abbott played one season in the National League, where pitchers were forced to bat, remarkably he was able to achieve two base hits as a one-handed batter!

After his retirement, Abbott started a career in motivational speaking, a career suited to someone who overcame being born with one hand to play 11 years in the MLB.