Hailey Dawson

Hailey Dawson (born March 2, 2010) is an American girl who is the first person to throw out the ceremonial first pitch in all 30 Major League Baseball stadiums. Born with Poland syndrome, she is missing three fingers on her right hand and has an underdeveloped pinky and thumb. At age 5, she was fitted with a 3D-printed robotic hand by the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, College of Engineering.

She came to national prominence in 2017 when she expressed a desire to use her robotic hand to throw out the ceremonial first pitch in all 30 Major League Baseball parks. She completed her goal on September 16, 2018, with an appearance at Angel Stadium. She has also been honored with dropping the puck at a 2018 Vegas Golden Knights–Philadelphia Flyers hockey game.

Biography Hailey Dawson was born in Henderson, Nevada, on March 2, 2010. Her father, Greg, is a corrections officer for the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, and her mother, Yong, is a photographer. She has an older brother, Zach. Her left hand is fully functional.

Robotic hand The University of Nevada, Las Vegas, College of Engineering built a robotic hand for Dawson in response to a request from her mother, Yong. She found open-source designs for a 3D-printed prosthesis posted online by a South African organization called RoboHand, and asked the UNLV College of Engineering to produce one for her daughter. Dawson will likely need a new hand every year. In 2017, Gerardi added an adjustable thumb and fingertip ridges to help Dawson grip items better.

Ceremonial first pitches

Dawson made her first ceremonial first pitch at a UNLV Rebels baseball game in 2015 shortly after receiving her first 3D-printed robotic hand at age 5. She appeared at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in August 2015. In response, many Major League teams extended invitations to her. Major League Baseball also invited her to throw out the first pitch at Game 4 of the 2017 World Series at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas. On September 16, she reached her goal with an appearance at Angel Stadium, making her the first person to throw out the ceremonial first pitch in all 30 Major League Baseball stadiums. United Airlines flew her and family members to each stadium at no cost. For her appearance in Game 4 of the 2017 World Series at Minute Maid Park, Gerardi printed and hand-painted two models of the hand featuring the series' gold and blue logo.

Other honors In 2016, Dawson wore a 3D-printed robotic hand inscribed with the seal of the president of the United States when she toured the White House and met then-President Barack Obama.

On February 11, 2018, Dawson was invited to drop the puck at a hockey game between the Vegas Golden Knights and Philadelphia Flyers. Her customized 3D-printed hand sported the colors of the Golden Knights, and she also wore their jersey.

Dawson was the recipient of the first Las Vegas Baseball Ambassador Award presented by the Society for American Baseball Research's Las Vegas chapter in February 2018.

On August 2, 2019, Dawson was invited back to Oriole Park at Camden Yards to throw out the ceremonial first pitch before an Orioles–Blue Jays game.

In 2019, Topps issued an Allen & Ginter card featuring Dawson.