Recovering officer throws first pitch

ST. LOUIS -- A police officer who lost both legs in a traffic accident outside Busch Stadium during the postseason threw out the first pitch before the St. Louis Cardinals' game Monday night.

Matt Browning walked haltingly to the mound on prosthetic legs helped by braces, getting a big ovation, before lobbing the pitch that preceded a game against the Pirates.

"It's unbelievable," Browning said. "This isn't something I would have ever dreamed that I could do in a crowded stadium. I wish I could have done it while I was in good form, but this is still just so unbelievable."

Browning, 26, was pinned between two cars while working outside the stadium during the National League Championship Series in the fall.

Cardinals pitcher Matt Morris accompanied him to the mound Monday.

Browning also participated in the countdown in the final season at Busch Stadium, removing the number 60 from the right field wall after the fifth inning.

"I'm just an average guy, I'm just a cop," Browning said. "These are people I see on TV and it's people that you root for and they're all here life-size, and to have them talk to me is kind of overwhelming."