James Anthony Abbott (born September 19, 1967) is an American former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

for the

California Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West Division. Since 1966, the team has pl ...

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

, and

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. The Brewers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Di ...

, from 1989 to 1999. He was successful at the major league level despite having been born without a right hand. Abbott graduated from Flint Central High School and grew up in the East Village area of

Flint, Michigan Flint is the largest city in Genesee County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. Located along the Flint River (Michigan), Flint River northwest of Detroit, it is a principal city within the Central Michigan, Mid Michigan region. Flin ...

. He was drafted out of high school by the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...

in the 36th round of the 1985 MLB draft but did not sign and decided to attend college. While with the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

, he won the James E. Sullivan Award as the nation's best amateur athlete in 1987 and won a gold medal in the demonstration event at the

1988 Summer Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and officially branded as Seoul 1988 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. 159 nations were represe ...

. He was drafted in the first round of the 1988 MLB draft and reached the major leagues the next year. As a member of the New York Yankees, he threw a

no-hitter In baseball, a no-hitter or no-hit game is a game in which a team does not record a hit (baseball), hit through conventional methods. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in ...

against the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...

in 1993.Jim Abbott Hickoksports Biography
Hickoksports Retrieved on July 28, 2006. He retired with a career record of 87 wins and 108 losses, along with a 4.25

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

. He is a

motivational speaker A motivational speaker (or inspirational speaker) is a speaker who makes speeches intended to motivate or inspire an audience. Such speakers may attempt to challenge or transform their audiences. The speech itself is popularly known as a pep ta ...

Playing career

Amateur years

Abbott was born in

. He was picked up by the

Ypsilanti, Michigan Ypsilanti ( ), commonly shortened to Ypsi ( ), is a college town and city located on the Huron River in Washtenaw County, Michigan, Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city's popu ...

, American Legion team and went on to win the championship. He graduated from Flint Central High School in Michigan where he was a standout pitcher and

quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

.Jim Abbott Biography
Retrieved on July 24, 2006. He played for the Grossi Baseball Club during the summer in Connie Mack Baseball. The

selected Abbott in the 36th round in the 1985 Major League Baseball draft, but he did not sign with the Blue Jays. Abbott enrolled at the

and played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played by Student athlete, student-athletes at institutions of higher education. In the United States, college baseball is sanctioned mainly by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); in Japan, ...

for the

Michigan Wolverines The Michigan Wolverines comprise 29 varsity sports teams at the University of Michigan. These teams compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA's NCAA Division I, Division I and in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except wo ...

for three years from 1985 to 1988, leading them to two

Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference, among others) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Fa ...

championships. In 1987, he won the James E. Sullivan Award as the top amateur athlete in the United States, becoming the first baseball player to win the award. He was the flag-bearer for the United States at the

1987 Pan American Games The 1987 Pan American Games, officially known as the X Pan American Games, was a major international multi-sport event held in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, on August 7–23, 1987. Over 4,300 athletes from 38 countries in the Americas ...

Indianapolis Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

, helping lead the US to a second-place finish. Baseball was a

demonstration sport A demonstration sport, or exhibition sport, is a sport which is played to promote it, rather than as part of standard medal competition. This occurs commonly during the Olympic Games but may also occur at other sporting events. Demonstration sport ...

in the

; he pitched the final game, winning an unofficial gold medal for the United States. Abbott was voted the Big Ten Athlete of the Year in 1988. Abbott's University of Michigan #31 jersey was retired at the Wolverines' April 18, 2009, home game against

Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State or MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State o ...

. In 2007, he was elected to the College Baseball Hall of Fame for his career at Michigan.

MLB career

The

selected Abbott in the first round, with the eighth overall selection, of the 1988 Major League Baseball draft. In 1989, he joined the Angels'

starting rotation This is an alphabetical list of selected unofficial and specialized terms, phrases, and other jargon used in baseball, along with their definitions, including illustrative examples for many entries. 0–9 0 :"Oh and ..." See count. 1 ...

as a rookie without playing in

Minor League Baseball Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National Le ...

. That season, he posted a 12–12 win–loss record with an

(ERA) of 3.92, and finished fifth in the year's

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is the younger of two sports leagues, leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western L ...

(AL) Rookie of the Year Award voting. In 1991, Abbott went 18–11 for the Angels, who finished in last place in the AL West with an 81–81 record. He posted the fourth-lowest ERA in the AL (2.89) while pitching 243

inning In baseball, softball, and similar games, an inning is the basic unit of play, consisting of two halves or frames, the "top" (first half) and the "bottom" (second half). In each half, one team bats until three outs are made, with the other tea ...

s. As a result, he finished third in the AL

Cy Young Award The Cy Young Award is given annually to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball (MLB), one each for the American League (AL) and National League (baseball), National League (NL). The award was introduced in 1956 by Commissioner of Baseball ( ...

voting. In the 1992 season, he posted a 2.77 ERA (fifth-lowest in the AL) but his win–loss record fell to 7–15 for the sixth-place Angels. He also won the Tony Conigliaro Award in 1992. In the offseason, the Angels attempted to trim payroll and traded Abbott to the

for their top minor league prospect first baseman J.T. Snow, and pitchers Russ Springer and Jerry Nielsen. He had an up and down year for the Yankees but on September 4, 1993, Abbott pitched a

against the

. On November 26 in the same year, he appeared as himself on the TV series ''

Boy Meets World ''Boy Meets World'' is an American coming-of-age sitcom created by Michael Jacobs and April Kelly that aired on ABC for seven seasons between September1993 and May2000. The series centers on Cory Matthews ( Ben Savage) and his friends and f ...

'' in the episode " Class Pre-Union". MIL1999H25ABBOTT

In 1994, Abbott's Yankees led the AL East, but the season was halted and the playoffs were canceled, due to a players strike on August 12. A

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

after the 1994 season, Abbott signed with the

in April 1995. On July 27, 1995, the White Sox traded him and Tim Fortugno to the Angels for McKay Christensen, Andrew Lorraine, Bill Simas, and John Snyder. The Angels held an 11-game lead over the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. The team joined the American ...

in August, but lost the AL West division title in a one-game playoff to the Mariners. Abbott re-signed with the Angels for the 1996 season. He struggled through it, posting a 2–18 record with a 7.48 ERA. The Angels released him before Opening Day of the 1997 season, and he retired. Abbott returned to the White Sox in 1998, starting five games and winning all five. He continued his comeback the following year with the

, but pitched ineffectively. This was the first time he had played for a

National League National League often refers to: *National League (baseball), one of the two baseball leagues constituting Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada *National League (division), the fifth division of the English football (soccer) system ...

team, forcing him to

bat Bats are flying mammals of the order Chiroptera (). With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most birds, flying with their very long spread-out ...

for the first time in his career. He recorded two

hits Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * '' H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block * ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998 * ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014, a British compilation album s ...

in 21

at bats In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens upon completion of his turn at bat, b ...

during his Brewers stint. Both of his hits scored runs, and both hits came off

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...

pitcher Jon Lieber, albeit in different games. Abbott retired after the 1999 season with a career record of 87–108, with a 4.25 ERA. He became eligible for the

National Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by a private foundation. It serves as the central collection and gathering space for the history of baseball in the United St ...

on the 2005 BBWAA ballot, but received only 13 votes (2.5% of the total vote) and fell off the ballot.

Playing with one hand

When preparing to pitch the ball, Abbott would rest his glove on the end of his right forearm. After releasing the ball, he would quickly slip his hand into the glove, usually in time to field any balls that a two-handed pitcher would be able to field. Then he would secure the glove between his right forearm and torso, slip his hand out of it, and remove the ball from it, usually in time to throw out the runner at first or sometimes even start a double play. At all levels, teams tried to exploit his fielding disadvantage by repeatedly bunting to him. Batting was not an issue for Abbott for the majority of his career, since the American League used the

designated hitter The designated hitter (DH) is a baseball player who bats in place of another position player, most commonly the pitcher. Unlike other players in a team's lineup, they generally only play as an offensive player and usually do not play defense as ...

, and he played only two seasons in the

interleague play Interleague play in Major League Baseball refers to regular-season baseball games played between an American League (AL) team and a National League (NL) team. Interleague play was first introduced during the 1997 Major League Baseball season. ...

era. But he tripled in a spring training game in 1991 off Rick Reuschel, and when he joined the National League's

in 1999, he had two hits in 21 at-bats, both off Jon Lieber.

closer

Mariano Rivera Mariano Rivera (born November 29, 1969) is a Panamanian Americans, Panamanian-American former professional baseball pitcher who played 19 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees, from 1995 to 2013. Nicknamed "Mo" and " ...

claimed to have witnessed Abbott hitting home runs during batting practice. His disability inspired him to work harder than most. "As a kid I really wanted to fit in," Abbott says on his website about growing up with a disability. "Sports became a way for me to gain acceptance. I think this fueled my desire to succeed. I truly believe that difficult times and disappointments can push us to find abilities and strengths we wouldn't know existed without the experience of struggle."

Awards

*1986 – Abbott was presented with the United States Sports Academy's Mildred "Babe" Didrikson Zaharias Courage Award for his courageous action in overcoming adversity to excel in sports. *1987 – Abbott won the

Golden Spikes Award The Golden Spikes Award is bestowed annually to the best amateur baseball player in the United States. The award, created by USA Baseball and sponsored by the Major League Baseball Players Association, was first presented in 1978. It is given to ...

. *1992 – Abbott was awarded the Tony Conigliaro Award, given annually by the Boston Red Sox to a Major League player who overcomes an obstacle and adversity through the attributes of spirit, determination, and courage that were trademarks of the Boston star. *2003 – Abbott was inducted into the

Baseball Reliquary The Baseball Reliquary is a nonprofit educational organization "dedicated to fostering an appreciation of American art and culture through the context of baseball history and to exploring the national pastime’s unparalleled creative possibiliti ...

's Shrine of the Eternals."Shrine of the Eternals – Inductees"
. Baseball Reliquary. Retrieved August 14, 2019. *2014 – Abbott was one of 12 recipients of the

Henry Viscardi Achievement Awards The Henry Viscardi Achievement Awards were established to honor the legacy of the founder of the Viscardi Center, Dr. Henry Viscardi, Jr., a leading disability rights The disability rights movement is a global social movement that seeks to ...

Autobiography

In April 2012, Abbott's autobiography, ''Imperfect: An Improbable Life'' (), co-written with Tim Brown, was published by

Ballantine Books Ballantine Books is a major American book publisher that is a subsidiary of German media conglomerate Bertelsmann. Ballantine was founded in 1952 by Ian Ballantine with his wife, Betty Ballantine. Ballantine was acquired by Random House in ...

References

External links

Archived link to personal website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Abbott, Jim 1967 births Living people American disabled sportspeople American expatriate baseball players in Canada Sportspeople with limb difference American amputees Baseball players at the 1987 Pan American Games Baseball players at the 1988 Summer Olympics Baseball players from Flint, Michigan Birmingham Barons players Calgary Cannons players California Angels players Congenital amputees Chicago White Sox players Baseball players with disabilities Flint Central High School alumni Golden Spikes Award winners Hickory Crawdads players James E. Sullivan Award recipients Major League Baseball pitchers Michigan Wolverines baseball players Milwaukee Brewers players New York Yankees players Baseball players from Southfield, Michigan Vancouver Canadians players Winston-Salem Warthogs players National College Baseball Hall of Fame inductees Medalists at the 1988 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists for the United States in baseball Big Ten Athlete of the Year winners Medalists at the 1987 Pan American Games Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States in baseball 20th-century American sportsmen