PHOENIX — Johnny Samolinski is his baseball team's secret weapon. As the Braves' ace pitcher, Johnny has helped his squad into the playoffs.
His brother and teammate, Jacob, is the one who taught him to pitch, and it's Johnny's unconventional style that gives him an advantage.
His mother, Cathy, is where he got his passion for the sport.
"I've always liked baseball, and I was into sports as a kid," she said. "When I got the boys, I just thought it was cute for them to play."
Cathy adopted Jacob and Johnny from Guatemala when they were just a couple months old.
Just a few months after the adoption, Cathy found out Johnny had autism and he was officially diagnosed when he turned 4 years old.
"By the time he was 2 and a half, he started therapy because he didn't walk until he was 2, he didn't talk very well," she said.
Johnny says he's fortunate to have his mother.
Prior to transferring to Gateway Academy in Phoenix, which specializes in working with kids with autism, things were difficult for Johnny.
Before that, Johnny wasn't a pitcher, but through baseball, he found his release.
"I'm getting good pitches across the plate and just doing my job," Johnny said.
Johnny wants to continue playing baseball and make it to the next level.