Pete Gray: One-Armed Major Leaguer

by William G. Nicholson

A biography of the baseball player who played for several years in the minor leagues and one year in the majors in spite of the fact that he had only one arm. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0133634817
• ISBN13: 9780133634815
• Release Date: January 1976
• Publisher: Prentice Hall
• Length: 32 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Age Range: 7 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 2 and higher

Customer Reviews

An inspiring story of rising over adversity

With only a stump for a right arm, Pete Gray is the most handicapped man ever to play major league baseball. While there is no question that he would not have played if so many of the regular players had not been off fighting World War II, that should not in any way diminish his accomplishments. The only person that comes close to Gray's situation is pitcher Jim Abbot and while he lacked a right hand, having a more functional right arm gave Abbot advantages over Gray. This story is one of perseverance, dedication and the pursuit of a dream; Gray's story is an inspiration to all people with some form of disability. His statistics were impressive for any player, for example he hit .333 and stole 63 bases in the Southern League in 1944. His major league career was short-lived because he could not hit a major league curveball (very few can) as the lack of a balance hand meant that he could not adjust his swing. Gray was also one of the more popular players and he did a great deal to cheer the spirits of war veterans coming back after losing one or more body parts. This is an excellent story for children, especially those with physical problems, for it demonstrates that even the most severe of such problems can be overcome by dedicating yourself to compensating and working smarter. Unfortunately, his career statistics were not included.