Bianca: The Miracle Baseball League gives an opportunity for disabled kids and adults to come out and play baseball.
Man 1: It’s the one sport that they can come out and play, because they’re usually not allowed or can’t physically play with able-bodied people. Everybody should be able to play, and so we’ve given them that opportunity.
Bianca: When the league first started, almost all of the players batted using a tee.
Man 1: Now, 90% of them are pitched to, so there’s a great hand-eye coordination that they learn.
Bianca: Each player has a buddy assigned to help him or her throughout the game.
Man 1: They’re called buddies and they help the players get around the bases to bat, and stuff like that.
Bianca: Anton has been playing in the league for over three years, and this year he is playing for the Diamondbacks.
Man 2: When we first got started, Anton couldn’t…he used to have a walker, and now he’s independently walking. This is a dream for a lot of the kids.
Bianca: UNLV students volunteer their time to announce each week’s game.
Woman: We announce their names by their nicknames. We have nicknames from Slugger, to Hitman, to Wild Thing, to Hot Momma, and I did say Hot Momma. They love when the crowd cheers for them and, you know, they tell the crowd themselves to, you know, “Cheer for me, cheer for me, cheer for me.”
Boy: Well, I have fun, make good home runs, and hope girls love me a lot.
Bianca: The Miracle League has been helping players young and old for years. It gives them a great opportunity to play baseball. For Studio G, this is Bianca Valdez. Ready.