With his 95-mile-an-hour fastball, Jim Abbott is one of the best pitchers in the American League. In 1988 he won the championship game that captured the gold medal for the U.S. Olympic baseball team against Japan, and in 1989, without spending a day in the minor leagues, he won 12 games for the California Angels in his rookie year. In six seasons, Abbott has won 67 games, despite having only one hand. A hero to many physically challenged children and adults, Abbott has shown that it is possible to overcome problems and become a success.

James Anthony Abbott was born September 19, 1967, in Flint, Michigan, with a right arm that ended half way between the elbow and wrist. His father, Mike, is a salesman, and his mother, Kathy, is a lawyer. When Abbott was five, his parents fitted him with an artificial limb that had clamping metal hooks he could use as...