Wayne Pelletier, Redwood Empire Baseball League: Crossing the Line
By Steve LaMontia, Director of Communications
54-year-old Wayne Pelletier is an amazing individual who plays in the Redwood Empire Baseball League in California. He has overcome an impairing chain of events that would have left most individuals giving up their dream of ever playing ball again. Well, not Wayne. He spits in the eyes of nay-sayers and is back on the field once again after losing his left leg below the knee in February of this year!
Below is an introduction from Redwood Empire’s headmaster, Rick Cantor, who recommended that we speak with this guy.
“I have an outstanding candidate from the REBL for a national feature story. 54-year-old Wayne Pelletier returned from playing in Arizona this past October with a bad left ankle. The ankle got worse, he had some complications with it including an infection, then in February they had to amputate his lower leg from the knee down.
He was outfitted with a prosthetic lower leg around late April, I believe, and put on his uniform for a game against my 45+ Pirates on June 2nd. We were amazed to see him out there and fairly shocked to see him get an AB late in the game, where he popped out to short.
But that little preview was nothing compared to the following Sunday. On June 9th, his 45+ Giants played against the 45+ Blacksox, the top team in the division and four-time defending champions. I’m still in shock while I write this, but Wayne pitched a complete game that day, beating the Blacksox 5-4! He gave up just five hits, walked two, struck out three, and allowed just three earned runs. He also went 1 for 1 at the plate, with a walk, an HBP, and a sac bunt. Just unbelievable.” Rick Cantor
It didn’t take much urging for me to get Wayne on the phone and discuss the sequence of events from November in Arizona to June in California. After my discussion with Wayne, I put together a timeline so that you can better understand his inconceivable return to the mound after such a radical surgery and so little time passed. Since my discussion with Wayne, I have vowed to never again complain of shoulder pain!
November 2023, Tempe, Arizona…“I had just finished my third week of playing in the World Series in Arizona where I rolled my ankle,” said Wayne. “It happens, so I didn’t think much about it. I drove back to the Bay Area and I couldn’t get out of the car! I knew right away it was something worse.”
January, 2024…”Aspirin and rest weren’t doing any good so after consultation with the doctor, he said there was an infection in the bone, prescribed more drugs, and sent me home. After six weeks of this, I was still really sore but wanted to start working out for the next season. I made another appointment to see the doctor.”
January 29, 2024…”This was supposed to be the end of my rehab period so the doctor x-rayed the ankle again. He came back into the room and was pale. The bones were black and osteoporosis had taken over. It was the result of a bone chip from the rolled ankle that had caused the opening in the bone and allowed the infection to take hold. They needed to perform surgery quickly to save the leg. The plan was to remove my left leg just below the knee.”
February 7, 2024…”This was the day they removed the leg five inches below the knee. My only comment that day was, ‘OK, let’s get on with this. I have rehab to get on with to get ready for the season.’ They all thought I was crazy. Maybe I was but I was determined to get back on the field.”
February 10, 2024…”I left the hospital with my calf muscle wrapped up and went home and barbequed for my wife.”
The doctors told Wayne that he would not be able to be fitted for his prosthesis until July. Wayne, however, was on a mission to return to the diamond and met with the prosthesis team on March 15th. On May 2nd he received his equipment, two months ahead of schedule. The game was on!
May 11, 2024…”I went to my first practice and threw batting practice. I had been on crutches for six months so things took time and it has been a slow process of getting into playing shape but I am way ahead of schedule and improving daily. Running has really come slowly.”
Rebounding back to the nuts and bolts of receiving a new prosthesis, I asked Wayne what an actual prosthesis consists of.
“It is a suction-based system. They take a cast of your leg and then create a form. They assembled a carbon fiber foot and a spring in the ankle itself and then a piece of metal and the socket to complete the leg.”
Wayne plays on the 45-over Giants and the 35-over Tigers in the REBL. He logged a couple of games with the Giants in early June, as Rick conveyed earlier, but he was going to start on the mound for the Tigers just a week ago. This was going to be a big test for him.
“It went well with good control and accuracy,” explained the excited pitcher. “It was at my home field at ‘A Place to Play’ along with some teammates that I truly missed. I was able to complete four innings and felt very good. We’re well on schedule.”
I needed to back up just a little with Wayne and return to the long road that got him from replacing a body part to this point in July. That starts with rehab. What did rehabbing entail when learning how to go from simply standing up or walking to throwing off a mound?
“Part of the process is you see a physical therapist before you get your prosthesis. So, I went to my PT for the OK to get it. She said she needed to know that I could get up before she released me. That was no problem so I jumped up for her. Then she asked if I could stand on one foot and hold my balance. I started hopping all over the place and she was shocked.
A few weeks later she called with the follow-up. She couldn’t believe what I was doing at home to rehab so she said I was good to go, wished me luck, and she hung up!”
Where did you perform your rehab and did you have someone there to push you?
“I am fortunate to have a teammate who is a professional trainer. He pushed me and encouraged me, and continues to do so. The part that still hurts mentally is that I sold my ’71 Vette to make room in the garage for the equipment I needed to rehab at home. Priorities can change quickly!
It’s a lot of reps and a lot of hours, both to get stronger and to get back to pitching. The first time I threw it felt like the bone was burning through my leg. But I also made up my mind that I was going to bike in a race every year. My mind kept pushing me forward.”
What were the first moments like when you started throwing, running, and hitting again?
“My gut told me that I would only pitch but then hitting started becoming more intriguing. From a pitching standpoint, I went from trying to simply throw to actually pitching over these last four weeks and now I can throw three out of four strikes.
My overall goal is to get to 80% of my prior velocity. Physically, this is still very early and the strength gains are helping with landing, control, energy conservation, etc. A lot of my routine is based on the doctor’s advice. There is constant tweaking.”
What were the early days like back on the field?
“40 feet on flat ground is a good distance to throw over and over to get the feel of landing on a new prosthesis and getting your arm adjusted to some new mechanics. Trying to run is a comedy! It remains a struggle. Phantom pain is present as you sometimes think you feel your leg. The first month after the surgery is when your brain is searching for the missing part and you experience that pain. But the nerves are still there so you think your leg is still there. My mind keeps looking for it.
As muscles start to decrease, the prosthesis needs constant adjusting. You have to come up with layers you can control. Early on my body would get sweaty, so things would get slippery and I had to wrap my leg and keep it from slipping. I just make constant adjustments, even now.”
Wayne is also a big MSBL World Series competitor, as explained in the first paragraph.
“Last year I played for a 35+ and a 50+ team in the first two weeks and also committed to the Sonoma 45s team in week three. I didn’t miss an inning in three weeks as primarily a pitcher and third baseman. I’m not sure I want to do that again.”
Any plans for the World Series this year?
“There is a team from the league that wants me to play in the 55s but I want to know I can help them and not just show up. We’ll see how the next few months play out.”
My final question was more about Wayne’s mindset, and not his physical adjustments or changes. Was there ever a moment when you wanted to give up and not play ball again?
“I had choices…screw it and quit and make some kind of peace with that. The problem is that I love the sounds, and the competition, and wanted to do everything I could to cross that white line one more time.
The toughest part of this entire ordeal was walking up to the chalk line and crossing it for the first time. I just didn’t know what would happen. I actually dreaded that moment in my mind. That first time pitching for the Giants in June was more than a dream come true. I didn’t have the intention of pitching the whole game but my team was short so I had to do it and I loved every moment. The hardest thing that day was wondering if I would look like a buffoon.”
What would you like to say to other players who are facing similar health issues?
“I play with players who continue to experience everything from addiction to serious health issues but this league is fantastic and hopefully this story can help someone make a good decision. Not just about playing our great game, but in life. Don’t ever give up!
Most importantly, Thank You to my wife ‘Apples,’ and to Skyler and Mark for everything.”
“28”