The one-armed baseball player was Pete Gray. At the age of six, he fell off a farmer’s wagon, got his right arm caught in the spokes, and had to have it amputated. Originally a righty, he was able to teach himself to bat from the left side of the plate, and even learned how to field with only one arm. He wore his glove on his fingertips, and when he caught a ball, he moved the glove to his left armpit, took the ball out with his right hand, and threw it back to the infield in one motion. He was also an excellent hitter, who combined speed, a good eye, and a quick bat to get on base.
He first started playing semi-pro ball in the late thirties, but no professional team would give a tryout to a one-armed player. However, after being named the Southern Association’s MVP in 1944, and due to the shortage of players during World War II, he was able to make it with the St. Louis Browns in 1945, his only professional year. In 77 games, he finished with a .218 batting average, 26 runs scored and 13 RBI.
