The Miracle League

For it’s 1, 2, 3 strikes you’re out at the old ball game! Spring is in the air and with it comes America’s favorite pastime…baseball. Now I’m not much of a sports fan, but I do enjoy watching a baseball game from time to time, as I’m sure many of you do as well. Not only do we enjoy watching a baseball game, but we enjoy playing it too, children and adults alike.

What about children and adults with disabilities? Do they ever get the opportunity to play? The answer is yes…through The Miracle League. The Miracle League enables children and adults with disabilities, whether it be physical or mental, to play baseball. It builds friendships, self-esteem, and allows those with special needs to be treated like any other athlete. Through the construction of special facilities, The Miracle League meets the unique needs of players and their families.

The Miracle League was created out of a necessity for children with disabilities to play baseball when a youth baseball coach from the Rockdale Youth Baseball Association (RYBA) invited a 7-year-old child in a wheelchair to play on his team in 1998. In 1999 the RYBA invited other children with disabilities to play baseball on a regular field within the RYBA baseball complex. The players wanted to dress in uniforms, make plays in the field, and round the bases. That year the league began with 35 players on four teams. The rules were easy:

Every player bats once in each inning
All players are safe on the bases
Every player scores a run before the inning is over; last one up gets a home run
Community volunteers serve as buddies to assist the players
Games are two innings long
Each team and each player win every game

The biggest concern was the playing surface, as it was not conducive for players in wheelchairs or walkers which presented safety problems. Over the course of two years, more children with disabilities expressed interest in playing the game. Support and participation grew, and the need for a program like this was recognized. An idea formed of building a unique baseball complex for special needs children and became a reality when the first Miracle League complex was completed in April 2000. The complex included a custom-designed field with a cushioned rubberized surface to prevent injuries, wheelchair accessible dugouts, a flat surface to eliminate barrier to wheelchair-bound or visually impaired players, three grass fields which could be converted to the synthetic rubber if needed, accessible restrooms, a concession stand, and a picnic pavilion. As of today, there are over 300 Miracle League Organizations across the United States, as well as Puerto Rico, Canada, and Mexico serving over 200,000 children and adults with disabilities.

Our own Pittsburgh Pirates, through the Pirates Charities, support the Miracle League with several programs in the greater Pittsburgh region as well as Manatee County, Florida. Each year they partner with the Baseball Fantasy Camp for Kids program to provide a half-day Fantasy Camp at selected Miracle League fields. Below is a list of the Pirates Charities Miracle League fields and where you can find them.

To learn more about each complex, please visit the Pirates’ website.