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Deaf pitcher defies all odds - ABC 4.com - Salt Lake City, Utah News
Ryan Ketchner was born 100 percent deaf. But he hasn't let that stop him from pursuing his dream of playing Major League baseball.
"A lot of people are thinking, 'Really?' said Ketchner. "They've never seen anybody who is deaf who plays baseball. So, I'll show them."
"I think it's great," said Bees first baseman Paul McAnulty. "It shows that anybody can play the game. It doesn't matter what your disability is. If you have talent, being deaf doesn't matter."
"To do what he has done at such a high level," added Bees manager Keith Johnson. "He's definitely a role model."
Ketchner may be a role model now, but his role model growing up was Curtis Pride, who ironically also played for the Bees. Pride was the only deaf major leaguer in the modern era, and he made quite an impression on Ketchner when they met while Ketchner was in high school.
"I grew up in Florida and my dad brought to a game to watch Curtis Pride play," recalled Ketchner. "It was amazing. I thought, 'I can play.'"
While baseball is a game of signs, Ketchner, who uses a hearing aid only to detect vibrations, doesn't use sign language with his teammates because he's an expert lip reader.
"Whenever I come out to talk to him, I have to make sure I take my mask off so he can see my lips," said catcher Kevin Richardson. "It's been really easy, and he's done a real good job for us. He's a great guy."
Sometimes, his teammates even use Ketchner's lip-reading talent as a weapon against their opponents.
"I said to him, 'When I'm hitting, if they have a visit to the mound, read that pitching coach's lips and tell me what they're saying about me," said Richardson.
"Everybody says, 'Do you know what they're saying?' laughed Ketchner. "Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't."
Another advantage is being able to block out all distractions.
"It's helped me a lot," Ketchner said. "Just focus on the strike zone. Almost all the pitching coaches say, 'Man, he's lucky. He doesn't hear anything. He can just focus.'"
"He's a very good self-evaluator," said Johnson. "When things don't go his way, he's not looking for excuses. He looks at himself first, and that's probably how he lives his life."
There hasn't been a deaf pitcher in the Major Leagues since Luther Taylor in 1908. The 29-year-old Ketchner is in the 10th season in the minor leagues, so he knows his time to make history may be coming to a close.
Ketchner has started six games for the Bees this season and is 1-1 with and ERA of 3.54. But even if he doesn't make the big leagues, Ketchner is happy with how far he's come.
"When I grew up, I didn't know what baseball offered because I can't hear anything," Ketchner said. "But, my dream came true."
Ryan Ketchner was born 100 percent deaf. But he hasn't let that stop him from pursuing his dream of playing Major League baseball.
"A lot of people are thinking, 'Really?' said Ketchner. "They've never seen anybody who is deaf who plays baseball. So, I'll show them."
"I think it's great," said Bees first baseman Paul McAnulty. "It shows that anybody can play the game. It doesn't matter what your disability is. If you have talent, being deaf doesn't matter."
"To do what he has done at such a high level," added Bees manager Keith Johnson. "He's definitely a role model."
Ketchner may be a role model now, but his role model growing up was Curtis Pride, who ironically also played for the Bees. Pride was the only deaf major leaguer in the modern era, and he made quite an impression on Ketchner when they met while Ketchner was in high school.
"I grew up in Florida and my dad brought to a game to watch Curtis Pride play," recalled Ketchner. "It was amazing. I thought, 'I can play.'"
While baseball is a game of signs, Ketchner, who uses a hearing aid only to detect vibrations, doesn't use sign language with his teammates because he's an expert lip reader.
"Whenever I come out to talk to him, I have to make sure I take my mask off so he can see my lips," said catcher Kevin Richardson. "It's been really easy, and he's done a real good job for us. He's a great guy."
Sometimes, his teammates even use Ketchner's lip-reading talent as a weapon against their opponents.
"I said to him, 'When I'm hitting, if they have a visit to the mound, read that pitching coach's lips and tell me what they're saying about me," said Richardson.
"Everybody says, 'Do you know what they're saying?' laughed Ketchner. "Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't."
Another advantage is being able to block out all distractions.
"It's helped me a lot," Ketchner said. "Just focus on the strike zone. Almost all the pitching coaches say, 'Man, he's lucky. He doesn't hear anything. He can just focus.'"
"He's a very good self-evaluator," said Johnson. "When things don't go his way, he's not looking for excuses. He looks at himself first, and that's probably how he lives his life."
There hasn't been a deaf pitcher in the Major Leagues since Luther Taylor in 1908. The 29-year-old Ketchner is in the 10th season in the minor leagues, so he knows his time to make history may be coming to a close.
Ketchner has started six games for the Bees this season and is 1-1 with and ERA of 3.54. But even if he doesn't make the big leagues, Ketchner is happy with how far he's come.
"When I grew up, I didn't know what baseball offered because I can't hear anything," Ketchner said. "But, my dream came true."