Hailey Dawson, a 7-year-old girl whose goal is to throw the first pitch at every Major League Baseball ballpark, will deliver the ceremonial first pitch at game four of the World Series.
Last week, Bleacher Report reported on Dawson’s story, and her quest to throw out a ceremonial first pitch at all 30 MLB ballparks. Born with Poland Syndrome, Dawson uses a 3D-printed right hand that allows her to throw a baseball. Starting with Oriole Park at Camden Yards in 2015, she has already delivered the ceremonial first pitch at other major league facilities, including Nationals Park earlier this summer.
On Wednesday, MLB confirmed that Dawson will throw out the first pitch at game four of the World Series in October. More from USA Today Sports:
“Hailey’s inspirational story captured our attention and our teams have overwhelmingly embraced her goal to throw a first pitch at every MLB ballpark,” said Tony Petitti, MLB Chief Operating Officer. “We are very happy that Hailey will begin her quest by throwing the ceremonial first pitch at Game 4 of the World Series. We’re all looking forward to meeting her and the Dawson family at the Fall Classic.”
People who suffer from Poland Syndrome have underdeveloped chest muscles and it causes webbing in their hands. The University of Nevada Las Vegas engineering department made her robotic hand and has been upgrading ever since. She is on the eighth version.
Game four of the World Series is currently scheduled to be played on October 28. Where the game and first pitch will occur remains to be seen, but already numerous teams have come forward and invited Dawson to deliver a ceremonial first pitch at their ballparks.