Coach Launches Baseball For Disabled Players

Baseball is simple until a regular field turns it into an obstacle course. Grass slows wheelchairs. Base paths assume balance, speed, and coordination. A lot of kids and adults with physical, intellectual, or developmental disabilities get excluded before the first pitch. That is the gap Gary Morton has spent years trying to close on the San Francisco Peninsula — and this spring, his Miracle League program is running full youth and adult teams in Redwood City. (miracleleaguesfpen.com) ### Who is Gary Morton? Morton runs the Miracle League of the San Francisco Peninsula, a local chapter of the broader Miracle League network. The recent attention around him came from a Bay Area TV profile, but the bigger point is what he built: a standing adaptive baseball program for players who usually do not fit into conventional leagues. His league serves both children and adults, which matt(miracleleaguesfpen.com)yers age out of youth programs. (cbsnews.com) ### What is Miracle League, exactly? Basically, it is baseball redesigned around access instead of exclusion. The national Miracle League says the problem starts with ordinary diamonds — grass, uneven surfaces, and game structures that do not work well for wheelchairs, crutches, or players who need direct support. So the model cha(cbsnews.com)now 350-plus Miracle League organizations serving more than 450,000 children and adults across the U.S., Puerto Rico, and Canada. (miracleleague.com) ### Why does the Peninsula chapter stand out? Because it is not just a one-off clinic. The San Francisco Peninsula chapter is operating a full Spring 2026 season with separate youth and adult games at Hawes Park in Redwood City. The site says the season runs from April 12 through May 17, the youth game starts at 1:30 p.m., the adult game at 2:30 p.m., and both player groups are already full. The pr(miracleleague.com)eers — especially for the adult game. (miracleleaguesfpen.com) ### Why are volunteers such a big deal? Because adaptive baseball is not only about the field. It is also about support at every step — batting, running bases, staying oriented, and just feeling comfortable in the flow of a game. The Peninsula chapter says volunteers are essential for successful gameplay, and the national model treats the buddy system as core, not extra. That setup turns baseball from “technically available” into actually playable. (miracleleaguesfpen.com) ### How did Morton get into this? The league’s own origin story is unusually personal. Morton says he first saw a Miracle League-style game while attending a wedding in Los Angeles. He watched about 20 kids with special needs paired with buddies and playing baseball, and the moment hit hard because his daughter Sarah, who had been disabled, had recently died. By the time the family drove b(miracleleaguesfpen.com)take shape. (miracleleaguesfpen.com) ### Why does adult access matter here? This is the part people often miss. Inclusive youth sports get attention, but adults with disabilities still run into the same barriers — and often more isolation. The Peninsula chapter explicitly welcomes players 18 and over, while also making case-by-case exceptions when a player fits better in a different age group. That flexibility sounds small, b(miracleleaguesfpen.com)ommunity. (miracleleaguesfpen.com) ### So what changed now? The new thing is visibility. Morton’s work just got fresh regional attention, right as the local spring season is underway and filled up. That puts a spotlight on a model that already exists but still feels rare — a baseball league built around the assumption that disabled players belong on the field, not on the sidelines. (cbsnews.com)rton-icon-award/)) ### Bottom line This story is about baseball, but really it is about design. When the field, rules, and support system change, a sport that once excluded people starts looking obvious again — everybody should get to play. (miracleleague.com)