American baseball player (born 1967)
Baseball player
James Anthony Abbott
(born September 19, 1967) is an American former
professional baseball
pitcher
. He played in
Major League Baseball
for the
California Angels
,
New York Yankees
,
Chicago White Sox
, and
Milwaukee Brewers
, 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
. While with the
University of Michigan
, 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
. 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 Yankees, he threw a
no-hitter
against the
Cleveland Indians
in 1993.
[1]
He retired with a career record of 87
wins
and 108 losses, along with a 4.25
earned run average
. He currently works as a
motivational speaker
.
[2]
[3]
Playing career
[
edit
]
Amateur years
[
edit
]
Abbott was born in
Flint, Michigan
.
[4]
He was picked up by the
Ypsilanti, Michigan
, American Legion team and went on to win the championship. He graduated from
Flint Central High School
in Michigan where he was a stand-out pitcher and
quarterback
.
[5]
He played for the Grossi Baseball Club during the summer in
Connie Mack Baseball
. The
Toronto Blue Jays
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
University of Michigan
and played
college baseball
for the
Michigan Wolverines
for three years from 1985 to 1988, leading them to two
Big Ten Conference
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.
[1]
[4]
He was the flag-bearer for the United States at the
1987 Pan American Games
in
Indianapolis
, helping lead the US to a second-place finish.
[4]
[6]
Baseball was a
demonstration sport
in the
1988 Summer Olympics
; he pitched the final game, winning an unofficial gold medal for the United States.
[4]
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
.
[4]
In 2007, he was elected to the
College Baseball Hall of Fame
for his career at Michigan.
MLB career
[
edit
]
The
California Angels
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
as a rookie
without playing a single
minor league
game. That season, he posted a 12?12 win?loss record with an
earned run average
(ERA) of 3.92,
[4]
and finished fifth in the year's
American League
(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
innings
. As a result, he finished third in the AL
Cy Young Award
voting.
[4]
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.
[4]
He also won the
Tony Conigliaro Award
in 1992.
In the offseason, the Angels attempted to trim payroll and traded Abbott to the
New York Yankees
for their top minor league prospect first baseman
J.T. Snow
, and pitchers
Russ Springer
and
Jerry Nielsen
.
[7]
He had an up and down year for the Yankees but on September 4, 1993, Abbott pitched a
no-hitter
against the
Cleveland Indians
.
[8]
On November 26 in the same year, he appeared as himself on the TV series
Boy Meets World
in the episode "
Class Pre-Union
".
In 1994, Abbott's Yankees led the
AL East
, but the season halted, and the playoffs were canceled, due to a
players strike
on August 12. A
free agent
after the 1994 season, Abbott signed with the
Chicago White Sox
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
.
[9]
The Angels held an 11-game lead over the
Seattle Mariners
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,
[10]
posting a 2?18 record with a 7.48 ERA. The Angels released him before Opening Day of the 1997 season, and he retired.
[11]
Abbott returned to the White Sox in 1998, starting five games and winning all five. He continued his comeback the following year with the
Milwaukee Brewers
, but pitched ineffectively. This was the first time he had played for a
National League
team, forcing him to
bat
for the first time in his career. He recorded two
hits
in 21
at bats
during his Brewers stint. Both of his hits scored runs, and both hits came off of
Chicago Cubs
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.
Playing with one hand
[
edit
]
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.
[12]
Batting was not an issue for Abbott for the majority of his career, since the American League uses the
designated hitter
, and he played only two seasons in the
interleague play
era. But he tripled in a spring training game in 1991 off
Rick Reuschel
,
[13]
and when he joined the National League's
Milwaukee Brewers
in 1999, he had two hits in 21 at-bats, both off
Jon Lieber
.
[14]
[15]
New York Yankees
closer
Mariano Rivera
claimed to have witnessed Abbott hitting home runs during batting practice.
[16]
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.”
[17]
Awards
[
edit
]
Autobiography
[
edit
]
In April 2012, Abbott's autobiography,
Imperfect: An Improbable Life
(
ISBN
0345523253
), co-written with Tim Brown, was published by
Ballantine Books
.
[22]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
Jim Abbott Hickoksports Biography
Archived
March 15, 2005, at the
Wayback Machine
Hickoksports Retrieved on July 28, 2006.
- ^
"Official Jim Abbott on Facebook"
.
Facebook
. Retrieved
June 8,
2014
.
- ^
"Jim Abbott book signing and public events"
. Retrieved
June 8,
2014
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
Berg, Chuck (2002) [1992]. Dawson, Dawn P (ed.).
Great Athletes
. Vol. 1 (Revised ed.). Salem Press. pp. 4?6.
ISBN
1-58765-008-8
.
- ^
Jim Abbott Biography
Archived
September 6, 2011, at the
Wayback Machine
Retrieved on July 24, 2006.
- ^
The Games of August: Official Commemorative Book
. Indianapolis: Showmasters. 1987.
ISBN
978-0-9619676-0-4
.
- ^
"BASEBALL; Yanks Are Winners In the Abbott Derby - The New York Times"
.
The New York Times
. December 7, 1992
. Retrieved
February 11,
2022
.
- ^
Frey, Jennifer (September 5, 1993).
"BASEBALL; Abbott: Not a Hit, Not a Run, Not a Doubt - The New York Times"
.
The New York Times
. Retrieved
February 11,
2022
.
- ^
"BASEBALL; Rich Get Richer: Angels Land Abbott; Indians Add Hill - The New York Times"
.
The New York Times
. July 28, 1995
. Retrieved
February 11,
2022
.
- ^
Friend, Tom (August 6, 1996).
"The Fastball Has Deserted Abbott, but Dignity Has Not - The New York Times"
.
The New York Times
. Retrieved
February 11,
2022
.
- ^
"A career worth remembering: Jim Abbott"
.
MLB.com
.
- ^
Society for American Baseball Research: The Biography Project
Retrieved on December 16, 2008
- ^
Abbott raps single, throws five innings
Archived
October 25, 2004, at the
Wayback Machine
Retrieved on August 24, 2008.
- ^
Cubs 7, Brewers 4, June 15, 1999
Retrieved on August 24, 2008.
- ^
Cubs 5, Brewers 4, June 30, 1999
Retrieved on August 24, 2008.
- ^
Kepner, Tyler (June 6, 2007).
"Talkin' Baseball With the Yankees"
.
New York Times Bats blog
.
- ^
"Major League Baseball ? Playing With A Disability - ABILITY Magazine"
.
abilitymagazine.com/
. Retrieved
March 20,
2022
.
- ^
WRAL (April 14, 2008).
"Coach Yow Receives Courage Award From U.S. Sports Academy :: WRALSportsFan.com"
.
wralsportsfan.com
. Retrieved
September 18,
2017
.
- ^
"Tony Conigliaro Award"
. Archived from
the original
on January 20, 2012
. Retrieved
February 6,
2011
.
- ^
"Shrine of the Eternals ? Inductees"
Archived
September 19, 2020, at the
Wayback Machine
. Baseball Reliquary. Retrieved August 14, 2019.
- ^
"Cooper Receives Viscardi Award"
. University of Pittsburgh. 2014.
- ^
Erskine, Chris (April 1, 2012).
"Book review: 'An Improbable Life' by Jim Abbott and Tim Brown"
.
Los Angeles Times
. Retrieved
September 4,
2013
.
External links
[
edit
]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to
Jim Abbott
.
Awards and achievements
|
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No-hitter
pitcher
September 4, 1993
|
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- 1965
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Spencer
- 1966
: DeNeff
- 1967
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- 1968
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Allen
- 1969
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Bannister
- 1970
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Dade
- 1971
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Tanana
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Chalk
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Miley
- 1975
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Goodwin
- 1976
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Landreaux
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Dotson
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Brunansky
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None
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Kipper
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- 1984
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Pappas
- 1985
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Fraser
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Cook
- 1986
:
Hernandez
,
Stevens
, Carr,
Fetters
, Green
- 1987
:
Orton
,
Holdridge
- 1988
:
J. Abbott
- 1989
:
K. Abbott
- 1990:
None
- 1991
:
Perez
,
Fabregas
- 1992
: Janicki,
Schmidt
- 1993
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Anderson
- 1994
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Christensen
- 1995
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Erstad
- 1996:
None
- 1997
:
Glaus
- 1998
:
Etherton
- 1999:
None
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Torres
,
Bootcheck
- 2001
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Kotchman
,
Mathis
- 2002
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Saunders
- 2003
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Wood
- 2004
:
Weaver
- 2005
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Bell
- 2006
:
Conger
- 2007
: Bachanov
- 2008:
None
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:
Grichuk
,
Trout
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Skaggs
,
Richards
, Kehrer
- 2010
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Cowart
,
Bedrosian
, Clarke,
Lindsey
,
Bolden
- 2011
:
Cron
- 2012:
None
- 2013:
None
- 2014
:
Newcomb
- 2015
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Ward
- 2016
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Thaiss
- 2017
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Adell
- 2018
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Adams
- 2019
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Wilson
- 2020
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Detmers
- 2021
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Bachman
- 2022
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Neto
- 2023
:
Schanuel
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