Jim Abbott spent his career defying odds and expectations in baseball. Born without a right hand, Abbott pitched in 10 major-league seasons, retiring with a 4.25 ERA following the 1999 season. Even though he finished third in the Cy Young voting in 1993, arguably the most memorable moment and pinnacle of Abbott's career was pitching a no-hitter as a member of the Yankees in 1993.
But Abbott's no-hitter wasn't the pitcher's first taste of national fame. Having represented his country already in the 1987 Pan American games, Abbott took the hill for Team USA in the 1988 Olympics. He threw a complete game in the final game of the Stars and Stripes' run towards a gold medal, defeating Japan in Seoul, South Korea. As baseball was a demonstration sport at the time, the victory notched the second consecutive first-place finish in the Olympics. Abbott was as big a part of Team USA's success as any.
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Original publish date: September 11, 1988
Abbott Overlooks His Handicap
What Sets This Lefty Apart Is His Pitching Ability
By Dave Nightingale
LOS ANGELES— Jim Abbott figures that he finally will have arrived as a baseball player when a media account of one of his games makes no reference to the number of hands attached to his body.
In other words, he is at the point in his career where he would prefer a simple description of his prowess over another "profiles in courage" yarn.
For the record, the 6-3, 200-pound Abbott, from Flint, Mich. is the first lefthanded, one-handed pitcher ever to:
- Play for the University of Michigan.
- Beat the Cuban National Team, in Havana, in 1987, before 50,000 spectators.
- Carry the United States flag in the opening ceremonies at the 1987 Pan American Games.
- Pitch in the Pan Am Games, in which he posted an earned-run average of 0.00 in three appearances.
- Win the 1987 Golden Spikes award as the country's top amateur baseball player.
- Win the 1987 James E. Sullivan Memorial Award as the country's top amateur athlete.
- Sign a contract with the California Angels, after being selected in the first round of the 1988 draft
Among other things...
This month, in Seoul, he'll become the first one-hander ever to pitch in the Olympic Games.
For those unfamiliar with the Abbott saga, the athlete was born with only a stump for a right hand.
Now, when he pitches, he'll rest his glove on that stump, positioning it perhaps half a foot from where his left hand will wind up on his followthrough.
Once the ball has been released, his left hand slips quickly into the glove, and he is squared away to field his position.
The transition is so smooth that, after three or four innings, even first-time Abbott-watchers fail to notice the move.
If a ball is bunted, Abbott flips his glove away just as quickly and fields the ball barehanded.
If the batter hits a grounder, Abbott gloves it, flips the ball into the air while he slides his hand out of the leather, catches the ball again and throws to first in the same motion.
The jury's still out— as it always will be— on whether Abbott can handle a hard line drive through the box. Jim said that often repeated question grinds on him. "I can talk about it until I'm blue in the face, but that doesn't prove anything," he said. "But I still think I'm able to protect myself."
The bottom line, defensively?
A Rawlings Gold Glove winner like Jim Kaat he's not. But basically, Abbott gets the job done.
"People like to bunt against him all of the time," said Mark Marquess, the coach of the 1988 U.S. Olympic team. "But then he keeps throwing them out, so they stop.
"Overall, I'd say that Jim is an average fielder. On occasion, there's a play that his handicap will prevent him from making. But it doesn't happen often, not often enough that you'd remember it."
Abbott was originally drafted in 1985, after high school, by the Toronto Blue Jays. It wasn't a publicity move, either, according to Toronto General Manager Pat Gillick, although a lot of thought so.
"We felt, even at that time, that he had the pitching skills to overcome his handicap," Gillick said.
Abbott chose not to sign with the Blue Jays— and that decision was not based entirely on the fact a low-round draft choice commands only a minimal bonus.
"I always felt I could make it to the majors," Abbott said. "But I still had a lot to prove to a lot of people, including myself. And if it turned out that I was wrong in my estimate of my ability, then at least I would have gained a college education in the process."
After a sparkling college career— a 26-8 career record and a 3.03 ERA for the Wolverines— the ante went up.
On August 3, the Angels signed Abbott to a 1989 contract with their Midland (Texas) team and paid a $200,000 bonus for the privilege.
The negotiations dragged at first because the Angels, who have never been known for public relations expertise, tried to lowball their initial offer.
But when they finally realized that it looked like they were trying to kick Cinderella in the shins, they upped their offer to one commensurate with Abbott's status as the eighth player selected in the draft.
After Jim won the Sullivan Award, he said: "I would like to think that it was based purely on my ability, but I'm sure my situation had a lot to do with it. Still, that's good, because if anybody got something extra out of my playing baseball and it helped them with their life, then I'm pleased."
And Abbott is remaining just as level-headed as he enters a phase of his career— the Olympics— that will have more glitz than substance.
He already has turned down a reported $100,000 to co-author an autobiography— on the grounds that, next year, "it wouldn't be too cool bopping around the minors with a book."
He said he is most pleased with the experience he has obtained during two summers of international competition because it has helped prepare him for the pros.
"You develop to the level of your competition; you do what your competition forces you to learn," he told the Washington Post.
"When I went to Michigan, I only had a fastball," he added. "Then I had to add the curve and the cut fastball, which is my slider. Now I'm working on an off-speed curve and a straight change."
He's also working on a new location for his pitches.
In college ball, against hitters with aluminum bats, there is a tendency to throw to the outside corner. In pro ball, however, those same pitches have a tendency to disappear over the fence.
"I'm working on pitching inside," he said. "That's the big thing for me in the future, and I know that I have to learn to do it."
With the Olympic team this summer, Abbott won three of his first four exhibition decisions.
Jim's lone loss was to Cuba, 2-1, when one of his 95 mph fastballs didn't come inside— and Juan Castro, the 35-year-old Cuban catcher drove it out of the park.
Never mind.
The Hollywood scriptwriters already are thirsting over the potential in the next chapter of the Jim Abbott story.
The U.S. team, you see, will open Olympic play on September 19 against the Republic of Korea, the host team.
And September 19 just happens to be Jim Abbott's 21st birthday.
And...
Forget it!
"I'm not saying Jim Abbott won't pitch the game against Korea," Marquess said. "But I am saying that the Oriental teams don't have that many lefthanded hitters and that we might be better off if we used a righthander.
"And I am saying that Canada usually has a lot of lefty hitters— and that is supposed to be the best ever Canadian team and we can't afford to lose to it."
That means Abbott will probably face Canada on September 23 in the final game of first-round play in Korea.
"Sure, I'd like to pitch the opener," Abbott said. "But if it makes more sense to the coach for me to pitch the third game, then I'll be happy to do that, too.
"It doesn't bother me because, during the rest of my career, I don't exactly figure I'll be calling my own shots, either."