By KATE JOHNSTON

For the Reporter

I’ve seen enough baseball in my lifetime to know what it’s all about. Or so I thought.

Then I heard about the Miracle League.

The Miracle League began in 1997 in Georgia as a way to give children with disabilities a chance to play the game. For once, they could play the game with their siblings watching them — instead of the other way around. The Miracle League is spread all over the country. Locally, it’s sponsored by the Kirkland and Redmond Boys & Girls Clubs and three Rotary clubs: Rotary Club of Kirkland Downtown, Rotary Club of Kirkland Evening and Rotary Club of Redmond Rousers.

This year’s Miracle League took place from May 3 through June 14. It will start up again next May.

I signed up my son, who has autism, not really sure what to expect. The rules are simple, however: Every child gets to bat and run all the bases. Every child gets a “buddy” – members of the sponsoring Rotary clubs — to help play.

The unofficial rule is that every child gets cheered and applauded with every move. The excitement is infectious. Parents, grandparents, siblings, even the family dogs come to cheer on the players. And cheer them on, they do!

Some typical scenes:

A player at bat has a hard time hitting the ball. After several tries, he connects the bat with the ball, and it falls a few feet away. The watching parents erupt into applause and, with the encouragement of his buddy, the player hops to first.

In the infield, a girl sits, too tired to stand; her buddy sits with her. A ball comes toward them, and her buddy catches it and gives it to her. She looks at the ball and holds onto it.

In the outfield, my son runs around. He goes in and off the field, and back again, and is happy just to run. His buddy keeps an eye on him while chatting with another man.

The first baseman guards his spot zealously. When a player tries to steal second base, the baseman tears off all over the infield telling everyone about it. “It’s all right, Robert!” yells his mother. “He can steal second base if he thinks he can!” The adults nearby chuckle.

The games are played Saturday mornings, with the last one on Saturday, June 14. The usual two innings were followed by a party of hot dogs, water and chips, paid for by the Rotary clubs. Every player received a trophy and gets to keep their uniforms, also paid for by the Rotary clubs.

A common sentiment uttered by various Rotarians: This was a great way to give back to the community.

The pitcher, Chuck Brockway, said, “I get to play with the kids, to give back to the community. Just watching the smiles on the kids’ faces when they hit the ball, catch the ball, and run the bases, that’s worth the price of admission.”

With the Miracle League, baseball isn’t boring anymore. Final score: 22 to 22.

Everybody won.

~Freelance writer Kate Johnston lives in Bellevue, with her family. She enjoys writing about community activities. This year marked her son’s second year playing in the Miracle League.