PUYALLUP, Wash. — Saturday was a special day in Puyallup as the Elks unveiled a new special baseball field behind their lodge. It's one of just a few in the area for an underserved community.
In many ways, the field looks like your typical baseball game on a typical baseball field. But these players don't swing for the ball with their eyes, they swing with their ears.
“Please keep your voices down so the outfielders and the batter can hear the ball," the umpire warned the crowd.
It’s called “beep ball,” or baseball for the blind.
The ball beeps, the bases make noise, and a pitcher lets players know when to swing.
Chad Morey plays for the Tacoma Tide Beep Ball Club. He said taking the field is a wonderful feeling.
“I like the sense of freedom. You get the chance to run again. You get to be free and run,” Morey said.
About two years ago the Puyallup Elks agreed to transform a rundown tennis court area behind their lodge into the field. There is a special fence to protect the players from getting hit by a ball while they’re waiting to bat.
The field has even ground and is covered in grass. There is no dirt so runners don't have to worry about getting hurt.
“I've run on some bad fields,” Morey explained. “There was a pit in one [field] right before the base, and my foot came out from under me. I hit face first.”
Andy Bacon is both the coach and a former player for the Tacoma Tide.
“This means the world to us. A lot of times you find blind people just sitting around on the couch because they don't think there's an activity out there for them.”
The land; the work; the fence; the bleachers; the grass and pretty much everything for the field was donated. Fred Baker started the effort and worked on it for two years.
“I'm ecstatic. Not just this field but where this field is, you can't ask for anything better,” Baker said.
The team played the inaugural game against Puyallup police officers who wore blindfolds to even the playing field. There are four strikes in this game, but players earn every hit.
Everyone might not be able to see the new field, but for the first time in a long time, this group feels like they are being seen.
The Tacoma Tide hopes the new field will encourage more people in the blind community to join the league. They're also hoping to expand to more activities for blind children.