Guardians Fan With Cerebral Palsy Throws Out First Pitch In Inspiring Moment

It has always been Peter Knab's dream to see the Cleveland Guardians play in the MLB playoffs.

Not only did those dreams come true, but the 26-year-old also had the chance of a lifetime when he met some of his baseball idols and threw out the first pitch at the AL Wild Card Series.

Superfan Peter Knab has made a name for himself in the baseball world. The 26-year-old attended 123 games this year, all while overcoming cerebral palsy.

On Friday, October 7, just a few hours before the first game of the AL Wild Card Series, Peter Knab got to meet some of his favorite baseball players -- but that's not all because to start Game One, the inspiring 26-year-old took the mound at Progressive Field, because the Cleveland Guardians asked Peter to throw out the first pitch.

"It's incredible to think about and I cannot believe it," Peter told WKYC.

https://twitter.com/CLEInspires/status/1578435635781984256

The inspiring young adult also spoke to WKBN, expressing how big of a moment this was for him. “I never thought this would happen,” he said. “To not only be throwing out the first pitch but the first pitch of a playoff game.”

When speaking to the performance of the Guardians, he expressed, “I love the effort they’ve shown all year. That helps feed me a bit to keep traveling. These past few weeks have been incredible. I got to see them clinch the division on the road in Texas, and I got to go down to the field."

Many baseball fans have heard Peter's story. The 26-year-old has dreamed of seeing his favorite baseball team, the Cleveland Guardians, play in all 30 MLB ball parks.

One woman wanted to help Peter achieve his dreams.

"Peter, I know that you say that you don't like the attention, but the truth is you've been a great inspiration to a lot of us, and that includes me. I grew up on baseball, my mom took us to all of the games, and I saw your story, and it really did inspire me," the woman told Peter. "I would like to give you this check for a thousand dollars to help you go to Washington, DC or wherever the next stadium is."

Peter, completely taken back and emotional, replied ,""Thank you. Oh my gosh. Thank you very much. Wow. Thank you very much. I appreciate it."

The Cleveland Guardians had an incredible game yesterday after beating the Tampa Bay Rays after 14 scoreless innings. It only took two pitches before Gonzalez smacked the ball from Rays pitcher Corey Kluber deep into the left-center-field, giving the Guardians a 1-0, 15-inning victory.

“Yeah, right away I knew it was a good connection,” Gonzalez said. “And also the angle that the ball was going, I knew it was going to be a home run.”

He continued, “During the at-bat, I was looking for a breaking pitch. I know myself and I know I can't react to the fastball, so I was just trying to get myself in a better position for the breaking pitch.”

The Game 2 win sends the Guardians to the AL Division Series. They will take on the New York Yankees beginning Tuesday.