His field at Yankee Stadium will go down like a remarkable foot.
Tom Willis, who was born without arms or hands, will throw Tuesday’s ceremonial pitch using his feet before a Yankees and Blue Jays game — his 29th pitch in a Major League Baseball stadium and just one before his quest to make it 30 big league baseball stadiums.
The 64-year-old Washington, D.C. native, who now lives in San Diego, said he grew up loving baseball – especially his beloved Washington Senators (now the Texas Rangers) – and that he dreamed of playing for the pros.
“Every little boy who plays baseball dreams of one day playing on a professional team in a professional stadium,” said Willis, a video and television producer turned motivational speaker. “When I was a child, I shared this same dream. But my disability made this dream impossible. But the ability to throw out the first pitch is the next best thing.
Learning to replace his lower limbs to replace his missing upper limbs, Willis said he discovered how to play ball with his feet – and did the same while writing, cooking and, with specially designed steering commands. equipped for his feet, even while driving a car.
His motto: “No hands, no arms, no problem”.
Yankee Stadium will be the 29th stadium where Willis will throw out the first pitch. Matthew McDermott
On a flight to New York before his big speech, Willis — insisting he’s almost never nervous — admitted to the Post the enormity of the house Ruth built weighs on him.
“Yankees Stadium, that’s it. I pitched at Fenway, at Wrigley. It’s the top of the rankings – it’s a mecca for a true baseball fan,” he said.
Willis’ journey began 15 years ago, when he was giving a speech at a local school and displaying his signature move: playfully kicking a tennis ball with his foot toward the audience.
Willis is able to throw the ball by grabbing it with his feet. Matthew McDermott
When a local TV station captured his “nasty curveball,” Willis was suddenly asked to do it again, but with a baseball, during the ceremonial pitch at a San Diego Padres game a week later .
He said a coaching boyfriend in the league helped him cultivate a system for throwing with his feet.
At the time, Willis said his only goal was to throw from the professional pitcher’s mound — not from the grass, even if the ball bounced. That’s exactly what he did.
“But I didn’t care,” said Willis, who has been having fun ever since.
Willis began throwing pitches in Major League Baseball stadiums 15 years ago. Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images
Willis’ goal is to inspire others and show the possibilities that exist for people with disabilities. Photo by Harry How/Getty Images
Willis threw out the first pitch during an Atlanta Braves game in 2015. Photo by Mike Zarrilli/Getty Images
The idea snowballed and now Willis’ “Pitch for Awareness” tour is showing baseball fans and skeptics alike that anything is possible.
“The most important thing is that people understand my message,” he said. “Just because someone is disabled doesn’t mean they can’t do anything. I turn obstacles into opportunities, challenges into championships and I make the impossible possible.
He said he always feared “the worst thing” that could happen: that he would lose control of the ball as he stepped forward with his right foot and grabbed the ball, letting it roll to home plate. And that’s exactly what happened during a Cubs game at Wrigley Field in Chicago.
“I walked up to the catcher and said, ‘Can I have this ball?’ Can we please do this again?’” he said.
Willis told the Post he hoped to take a photo with Yankees star Aaron Judge before the game. Matthew McDermott
When he returned to the mound to pitch, he found redemption, noting, “It wasn’t quite a strike, but it was respectable.” »
And he’s certainly not dropping the ball now. Willis prides himself on his 31 mph “fastball” and near-home run – with only the LA Angels to cross off his bucket list.
As for pitching at Yankee Stadium, the 5-foot Willis hopes to catch the eye of Yankee captain Aaron Judge. “He’s about 18 feet tall. It would be great to have a picture of us side by side,” Willis said.
At the very least, he will leave with a few souvenirs:
“I keep every ball,” he said, sometimes signed by the pitcher, adding that he would also leave with a team baseball cap.
“With my Yankees cap, I will go home with the hat, the ball and a secret that no one knows,” he said. “I take a little soil from each field and keep it in a bag. It’s really cool.”
2023-09-17 18:04:29
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