One-armed Little Leaguer swings for the fences

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Thursday, April 28, 2016
One-armed little leaguer swings for the fences
9-year-old baseball player dominates game despite paralysis in his right arm.

SAN DIEGO, CA -- Will Baker, 9, dominates in his favorite sport despite being unable to use his right arm.

"He excels at every position. He does not let any position take him down. He just does it all," said Mario Pappazi, his coach.

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A year and a half ago Will contracted a rare virus that attacked his nervous system and left his right arm paralyzed, but Will can do with one hand what his teammates do with two.

"Now I'm just used to using one arm. I can't imagine learning how to do with both arms," said Baker

Surgeons helped him regain the use of his hand and a sling gives him stability. He is able to lift his arm just enough to switch his glove from one hand to the other.

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Will's dream is to play professional baseball like pitcher, Jim Abbott who was born without a right hand.

"You never know until you actually try. So if you don't want to go hit, like sometimes I don't want to go hit, and then you get scared. My coach says you already struck out if you're scared before you hit," said Baker.

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