Final Card Friday: 1999 Jim Abbott

Growing up in Flint, Michigan in the 1980s, I was very aware of Jim Abbott. I saw Abbott pitch while he was in high school at Flint Central. As a young teenager, I was impressed with his ability to switched his glove from one hand to the other and field his position as well as anyone. However, I was more impressed with his ability to pitch. He was a tall, strong, left-hander who threw with some serious heat and had a good breaking pitch.

I wasn’t surprised when Abbott received a scholarship from the University of Michigan. Luckily, I was able to see him pitch in Ann Arbor for the Wolverines. He didn’t disappoint while at Michigan either, earning the James E. Sullivan Award in 1987 as the nation’s best amateur athlete. After graduation, he won a gold medal in the demonstration event at the 1988 Summer Olympics. Abbott’s claim to fame in that event was pitching a masterful game against the Cuban National Team. His ability to field his position and shut down Major League caliber hitters got him drafted in the first round by the California Angels in 1988.

On June 17, 1989, I traveled to Tiger Stadium in Detroit, Michigan with my brother and a friend. The Tigers were awful in 1989 (25-39 at the time), so our purpose wasn’t to see them lose another game. Instead, we made the trip to see Jim Abbott start against the Tigers. In the only time I’ve ever rooted against the Tigers, Jim Abbott beat them 6 to 3. He pitched seven solid innings, giving up three earned runs and scattering nine hits. On that day, Abbott’s battery mate was former Tiger Lance Parrish. Also, 1984 World Champion Dan Petry relieved Abbott in the eight. It was a reunion, of sorts, at the corner of Michigan and Trumbell.

Jim Abbott’s finest day in the Major Leagues was September 4, 1993, when he threw a no-hitter against the Cleveland Indians. His performance in that late summer game, help salvage an otherwise disappointing season for Abbott in his first season in the Bronx after being traded by the California Angels.

Jim Abbott spent his final season with the Milwaukee Brewers. With the Brewers being switched to the National League, Jim Abbott got the chance to prove he could handle the bat like other Big League pitchers. He did so admirably, getting two hits and laying down sacrifices bunts. Abbott’s card isn’t much to speak about, with his D rating. His lack of success in his final seasons had nothing to do with his missing hand. Instead, it had everything to do with his loss of effectiveness with his pitches.

I can’t say there wasn’t something extra interesting about Jim Abbott because of the unique situation with his hand. However, I appreciated him because he was from my hometown and he made it to the Majors. For most people, that’s a rare occurrence. Most of all, I appreciated Abbott for his ability and accomplishments as a pitcher, not because the ways in which he overcame his handicap. I think, in the end, that’s how Jim Abbott would have wanted it. Throughout his life, he just wanted to fit in and be one of the guys. He always was, in my eyes.