Hand Transplant Patient Throws First Ball for Phillies

Matthew Scott, the first person in the United States to receive a hand transplant, threw out the first ball Monday at the Philadelphia Phillies’ home opener against the Atlanta Braves.

The throw to Phillies reserve outfielder Rob Ducey about 25 feet from home plate was high and outside. But it was perfect enough for the 37-year-old Scott, decked out in a No. 13 Phillies jersey and red hat.

“I threw a ‘wishball,’ ” a beaming Scott said. “I was really worried about muffing the throw, bouncing it, throwing it in the stands, or throwing it behind me.”

Scott threw the ball with a protective glove he wears every day as part of his recovery. His new hand cannot detect texture, such as the seams of the baseball, but it can feel the pressure he applies on the ball.

Scott had been using a prosthetic device since losing his hand in a 1985 fireworks accident. Doctors at Louisville Jewish Hospital in Kentucky attached the hand from an undisclosed donor after a 15-hour operation Jan. 25.

Team officials decided to give him the opportunity to throw out the first ball after hearing about the transplant. Scott had said he wanted to play catch with his children when he was healed.

The ceremonial pitch capped a dizzying pregame opening day ceremony. The ball was carried into the park by a man with a jet-propelled backpack rocketing to the upper level of the stadium. He handed it to a man who used a hang glider to fly down to the field, who finally gave the ball to Scott’s 7-year-old son, Ian.

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Atlanta reliever Mark Wohlers, whose attempt to regain his control has suffered a setback this season, is refusing to accept assignment to the Braves’ farm club in Richmond.

The decision apparently ends Wohlers’ career with the Braves, for whom he saved 97 games from 1995-97, including the final game of the 1995 World Series.

Wohlers could have accepted the assignment, refused it or declared for free agency. Since he refused it, the Braves are still responsible for his $5.2-million salary unless they trade him by April 22. Pittsburgh and Arizona are among the interested teams.

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Florida right-hander Alex Fernandez, who has made two starts in his comeback from rotator cuff surgery, was placed on the 15-day disabled list because of inflammation in his pitching shoulder.

Fernandez was examined in Birmingham, Ala., by Dr. James Andrews, who performed the surgery in October 1997 to repair the shoulder. Fernandez is expected to begin light throwing in three to four days and resume throwing off a mound in about a week, the Marlins said.

Andrews indicated the setback is not unusual for a pitcher coming back from rotator cuff surgery, general manager Dave Dombrowski said.

Fernandez, 29, made his second start of the season Sunday, allowing six hits and two runs in 4 2/3 innings in a 2-1 loss to Philadelphia. He won on opening day, his first game in 18 months, and is 1-1 with a 2.79 ERA.