MLB teams step up to help girl with 3D-printed hand realize her dream

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Washington Nationals / Twitter

The baseball world is teaming up to make Hailey Dawson's dream come true.

Dawson was born missing three fingers on her right hand thanks to a rare birth defect called Poland Syndrome that affects one out of every 20,000 births, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine. But the 7-year-old girl has continued to live her life using a special 3D-printed hand developed by engineers at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas - and baseball has quickly taken note.

Dawson's goal of throwing out a ceremonial first pitch at every major-league ballpark was brought to light Thursday by Bleacher Report through a video that also detailed how her hand works.

Once word of Hailey's quest hit Twitter it didn't take long for the league to come together and try to make her dream a reality.

As of Friday morning, over half of MLB's teams had reached out to Hailey on social media to bring her in for a first pitch. And she may end up getting way more than 30 opportunities, as some minor-league teams and even NCAA programs have also extended her invitations.

Hailey's already checked off two ballparks on her list. In 2015 she threw out the first pitch before a Baltimore Orioles game, while the Washington Nationals brought her to Nationals Park earlier this year - where her favorite player, Bryce Harper, was there to catch her toss.

Keep an eye on this young talent, baseball fans - because she's surely coming to a ballpark near you next season.

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