Newry Special Olympian to throw opening pitch at Fenway

Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

 

Darren Buker practices pitching behind the Newry Town Office on Wednesday. He will throw the first pitch Saturday at Fenway Park prior to the start of a Red Sox game.

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- Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

Dana Bullen, general manager of Sunday River Ski Resort, talks with Darren Buker behind the Newry Town Office on Wednesday. Bullen gave Buker his baseball glove for this Saturday's Red Sox game at which Buker will throw the first pitch.

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- Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

Darren Buker practices pitching behind the Newry Town Office on Wednesday. He will throw the first pitch Saturday at Fenway Park prior to the start of a Red Sox game.

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- Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

NEWRY — Darren Buker's dream will come true on Saturday when he throws the opening pitch to start the Red Sox game against the Cleveland Indians at Fenway Park.

Afflicted with cerebral palsy since he was a year old, the 23-year-old Newry native proved his doctors wrong when they told his parents, Raymond and Rhonda Buker, that he'd never walk or talk.

On Saturday, 36,000 people attending the 7 p.m. game will get to see the Special Olympics Maine gold medalist and avid Red Sox fan in action.

"We are so thrilled," said Rhonda Buker, who herself is fighting Lyme disease. "What an honor for him."

"Oh, my gosh! He's just so pumped up," she said Wednesday after watching her son practice pitching behind the Newry Town Office. "He's telling everybody he meets, 'Dude, guess what I'm doing? I'm going to the Red Sox game and throwing out the first pitch!'"

Darren, who has been part of the Maine Handicapped Skiing program at Sunday River Ski Resort since he was 3 years old, got the opportunity to pitch from the resort's general manager, Dana Bullen.

Because the ski hill sponsors the Red Sox, the team wanted someone from Sunday River to throw the opening pitch. They had originally asked Bullen.

Instead, he chose Darren Buker because of his association with Maine Handicapped Skiing. Additionally, Raymond Buker, an avid skier who is the resort's road maintenance manager, has been part of Maine Handicapped Skiing for 20 years.

"Maine Handicapped Skiing is part of the DNA of who Sunday River is," Bullen said. "Darren is the perfect person to represent us."

"I spent the day with him during the World Cup Snowboarding event this past spring and his enthusiasm for life is amazing," Bullen said of the young skier and snowboarder.

"Darren is just an all-around great person and Sunday River couldn't be more proud to have someone like him represent our resort and Maine Handicapped Skiing," Bullen said.

Darren Buker said that although he's been a Red Sox fan all his life, he's never been to a live baseball game.

He's only watched his favorite Boston players — David "Big Papi" Ortiz and pitchers Hideki Okajima and Daisuke Matsuzaka — on televised games.

"It will be a dream come true to pitch and meet David Ortiz," Buker said.

"I bet I can throw it better than Barack Obama. He bounced it in," Buker said of President Obama's ceremonial opening pitch to start the Major League All-Stars game in St. Louis in July.

A sinker, slider, knuckle ball or curve ball just won't do. It will be a two-fingered fastball, Buker said, revealing his grip on the baseball that he pulled out of his Franklin glove.

"This is 60 feet, 6 inches for baseball," he said of the distance from the Major League pitching mound to home plate. "For softball, I can only throw it about 10 meters. That's about 30 feet."

"You'll do all right," Raymond Buker told his son. "Like I told him, if it ends up in the other team's dugout, they'll go get it. ... As long as you get the release down, buddy, you're doing a good job."

Darren, who did tae kwon do on crutches in his younger years, has been practicing pitching every day — rain or shine — for two weeks, his father said.

His mother said Darren is in his third year of competing in the distance-throwing and wheelchair racing contests in Special Olympics Maine.

"Nine-time gold medalist!" Darren Buker suddenly yelled, both arms thrust high into the air and grinning from ear to ear.

On Saturday, he'll be sitting along right field in the lower seats.

"Out of all the people in the world, how many get this opportunity to throw the first pitch?" Rhonda Buker asked. "It's just wonderful."

tkarkos@sunjournal.com