“Dad, do you like your little hand?”

Jim Abbott brought his gold medal, baseball cards and a cap to his daughter’s preschool. It was career day.

Abbott paused. He felt the old urge to tuck his right arm into his pocket. He didn’t know what to say.

We all remember Jim Abbott.

Hard to believe it’s been more than 25 years since he threw his final pitch. Seems like yesterday he was bringing it for the California Angels.

What a story it was. And the difference he made—on and off the field.

Abbott grew up in Flint, Michigan, born without a right hand. When he was little, he wore a prosthetic hook. Some kids called him Captain Hook.

Something as simple as an untied shoelace at school could be a problem.

In third grade, his teacher, Donn Clarkson, taught him how to tie his shoes with one hand.

At home, his dad helped him figure out the glove thing.

Throw with the left hand, then quickly slip the glove from his right arm onto his left hand. Ready for the ball coming back.

The Abbott switch.

He practiced by throwing a rubber ball against a wall. The better he got, the closer he moved to the wall.

Try that sometime.

Abbott became an All-American at Michigan and helped the U.S. win gold in the 1988 Olympics.

The California Angels drafted him that year. By 1989, he was in the bigs, skipping the minors.

He pitched 10 seasons. In ’91, he won 18 games and finished third in Cy Young Award voting.

But the moment everyone remembers came two years later, at Yankee Stadium. Abbott was on the mound for the Yankees against Cleveland.

Ninth inning. Yankee fans on their feet.

Ground ball to short… Velarde to Mattingly.

Abbott had just pitched a no-hitter!

Watch the final out and celebration

His teammates swarmed the kid from Flint.

He’d spent years just trying to fit in. Now all eyes were on him.

Abbott called it a magical day.

For kids growing up without a hand or an arm, here was somebody who looked like them, pitching in the big leagues.

Families came to the ballpark to meet him. Abbott understood why.

He’d be in the clubhouse playing cards or listening to music with his teammates when someone tapped him on the shoulder. A family was waiting out in the hallway.

They wanted to talk about the very thing he used to hide.

One of the questions the kids kept asking: How did he tie his shoes?

So Abbott would get down on one knee, right there in his uniform, untie his laces and show them.

Mr. Clarkson’s lesson was still paying off.

After baseball, Abbott took his story to the stage as a motivational speaker.

His message?
Adapting to obstacles, staying determined and trusting the people around you.

In this TEDx talk, he explains why he came to see misfortune as a gift. Finding another way. Accepting help. He’d been learning those lessons since Flint.

Abbott has also taken that message to employers.

In 2008, he served as spokesman for PITCH—“Proving Individuals with Talent Can Help”—a Department of Labor and MLB campaign urging employers to hire people with disabilities and recognize the talent they might otherwise overlook.

In 2012, he and sportswriter Tim Brown published Imperfect: An Improbable Life. In the book, Abbott takes readers through that no-hitter pitch by pitch. He writes about the failures, too, including the 1996 season, when he won just two games.

Facing life without baseball was scary, Abbott said. The game had been a big part of his life, and it took him a long time to adjust.

Asked why leaving the game was so tough, he answered:

Photo credits, left to right — All-Pro Reels via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0, cropped for the collage) · Bryan Berlin via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped for the collage) · Courtesy of Nick Newell.

Even after Abbott retired, kids continued to write.

In a 2017 WBUR interview, he said he’d recently heard from several kids who’d stayed in touch with him over the years. Some were headed off to play college baseball.

And he inspired athletes across several sports.

Shaquem Griffin grew up watching videos of Abbott pitching and fielding. He was born with amniotic band syndrome, which kept his left hand from developing properly. The condition caused severe pain, and doctors amputated his hand when he was 4. Griffin went on to play linebacker in the NFL.

Carson Pickett was born without her left forearm and hand. She became the first player with a limb difference to play for the U.S. women’s national soccer team. She credits Abbott with helping her see what was possible.

Then there’s MMA fighter Nick Newell, known as Notorious Nick. Born without his left hand and part of his forearm, he fought professionally with one hand. Imagine that. Newell and Abbott have met a few times over the years, including once at Yankee Stadium when Newell was a kid.

And he’s still giving pep talks.

Just last month, Abbott spoke in Orlando to construction professionals about lessons baseball taught him—and how to turn challenges into strengths.

In July, he received the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance at the ESPYs.

Perseverance?

Yeah. I think that describes Jim Abbott.

Watch his speech

Abbott is now 59. He and wife, Dana have been married nearly 35 years, and they have two daughters.

Many years ago, his daughter Ella asked that question during preschool career day:

“Do you like your little hand?”

His answer?

Yes.

John Boxley

Want more of Abbott’s story? Read Imperfect: An Improbable Life, by Jim Abbott and Tim Brown.

More baseball reading

Who’s the former big leaguer you’ve always wondered about? Hit reply and let us know. We’ll see what we can find.

Have a great weekend!