With his tumor history, Riefenhauser throws strike one
-
- May
- 23
An amazing feat today at Gould Park in Dobbs Ferry: Senior RHP Gary Riefenhauser took the mound to start the Eagles’ last home game of the season just one month removed from a six-hour surgery to remove a brain tumor on his cerebellum. Riefenhauser calmly threw a fastball over the inside corner for strike one to Pawling leadoff hitter Michael DeVito, then was promptly carried off the field by teammates Frank Scattaretico and Sean Paul.
For Riefenhauser, his family and his team, it was an incredible moment. He felt dizziness during a start against Valhalla a little over a month ago, then couldn’t get through the team’s running a couple days later. He went to the hospital where doctors discovered the tumor, and he had it removed the next day.
At first they weren’t sure he’d recover without rehab. Not only did he forgo the rehab, he was home four days after surgery and back in school a week after that. When I spoke to Gary and his family today they were all amazed about the speed of his recovery. The fact that he’s returned to school and resumed baseball activities (he took BP and threw off the mound this week for the first time) didn’t seem possible a few weeks ago — at least not this quickly.
Also, you have to credit Pawling. Dobbs Ferry AD Jim Lindsay and coach Ted Huffman reached out to Pawling’s AD and coach this week, both of whom agreed to take Riefenhauser’s pitch, ball or strike. It was a very noble decision on their part.
This entry was posted
on Friday, May 23rd, 2008 at 6:32 pm by Josh Thomson. 
Print
| 
Email
Josh Thomson has done some of everything since joining The Journal News in
March 2003. He began working for the Gannett weeklies during the winter of
2002 as a freelance writer. He joined the daily staff soon after and has
since covered various high school and pro sports. Away from sportswriting,
Josh lives in Westchester and spends his free time either with his
fiancee, Sarah, or expertly managing his various championship-winning
fantasy sports teams. He's visited 21 major-league baseball stadiums and
insists that Fenway Park and Wrigley Field are the best by far. Josh
graduated from Carmel High School in 1998, then went to Boston University,
where, in 2002, he received a degree in communications with a minor in
history. 
Jake Thomases has covered baseball, hockey, girls basketball, and girls soccer for the Journal News since arriving in 2003. He previously interned at The Poughkeepsie Journal while attending Vassar College. He is socking money away under his mattress to buy the Knicks, at which time he will trade Jerome James to Cleveland for a ham sandwich.
Great story…Good job Pawling and Dobbs…Hopefully the kid will keep getting better
Gary Riefenhauser is cousins with the Mahopac Pitcher I believe..
awesome…That is true.
Gary is a great kid, and it was great to see him pitch today, hes a kid that has been playing baseball his whole life, and loves the game, it was great to see all the coverage at Gould Park today for Gary, and hopefully he will only get better
josh this story should be on the front page !!!
that is beautiful
I agree. Front Page news for sure instead of all the shootings, rapes, gas prices and other hard to take nonsense.
Hats off to both teams for allowing this young man and his family to take another stride towards full recovery.
One of those feel good stories that makes you proud to be a small part of athletics.
Great job.
I must say that kid probably has a hell of a heart
Great Story