Main content

The man born with no arms and an inspirational 15 year journey to pitch at every MLB stadium

Sportshour speak to Tom Willis who was born without arms and has now thrown a pitch at all 30 MLB stadiums.

Tom Willis was born without arms and recently completed a 15-year journey to throw out a ceremonial pitch at all 30 Major League Baseball stadiums across the USA. He discusses how he pitches a baseball, the inspiration for his Pitch for National Awareness tour and how changing perceptions of people with disabilities is important to him. Tom鈥檚 philosophy is "I want people to focus on what I can do, rather than what I can't鈥.

Andrew Edwards explains how falling in love with cricket as a child has helped him with his autism. Edwards tells us all his worries slip away when he鈥檚 watching a test match, how loud music at T20 games affects him and how the very clear rules in cricket can make the sport appealing to people who are neurodiverse.

And 鈥 Sydney Giants star Nicola Barr tells us how she got interested in environmentalism and her fears for the future of elite and grassroots sport. Barr recalls her friends shoe melting on the tarmac because of the high temperatures in Sydney.

Image: Tom Willis continues first-pitch dream at Yankee Stadium prior to the Major League Baseball game between the Toronto Blue Jays and the New York Yankees on September 19, 2023 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Available now

30 minutes

Broadcast

  • Sat 21 Oct 2023 09:06GMT

Podcast