In one version, Wyshner was sitting on a truck with friends and fell off, and his arm got stuck in the spokes of the old-fashioned wheels.

Seven years after his accident, Wyshner completed his formal education at age 13 and began working as a water boy at the Truesdale Colliery.

One story that was told about his frustration with being treated differently was from his days as a young man playing sandlot baseball.

[4] By 19 years of age, Wyshner was playing outfield for the Hanover Lits Baseball Club of the Wyoming Valley Anthracite League.

[2] In 1941, after the attack of Pearl Harbor, Gray attempted to join the Army, but was denied on the basis that he was an amputee.

Gray responded to being rejected by the Army, saying that, "If I could teach myself how to play baseball with one arm, I sure as hell could handle a rifle.

He attained a batting average of .333 and a stolen-base record of 63; as a result, he was named the 1944 Southern Association's Most Valuable Player.

During his career, Gray played for teams including the Trois-Rivières Renards of the Canadian–American League, the Memphis Chicks of the Southern Association and the Brooklyn Bushwicks.

Gray's success and ability to draw a crowd helped attract the notice of the Memphis Chicks, another minor league team, and they signed him.

"[4] His relationship with teammates was not great, and many were disgruntled because they were in the race to repeat as American League champions and they felt Gray slowed down their success.

Infielder Don Gutteridge later said in 1994, "Some of the guys thought Pete was being used to draw fans late in the season when the club was still in the pennant race and he wasn't hitting well."

"[10] Gray's on-field exploits set an inspirational example for disabled servicemen returning from World War II, as was portrayed in newsreels of the period.

He visited army hospitals and rehabilitation centers, speaking with amputees and reassuring them that they too could lead productive lives.

[11] Major League stats:[12] While playing the field, Pete Gray wore a glove without padding.

When backing up another outfielder during a play, he would drop the glove completely and was ready to take the ball with his bare hand.

[13] Gray's major league career ended that same year when many of baseball's stars returned from the battlefront and assumed their previous positions on the diamond.

From 1946 to 1949, he played on as a journeyman minor leaguer with the Toledo Mud Hens, Elmira Pioneers and Dallas Stars.

Gray returned home to Nanticoke where, although a local hero/celebrity, he struggled with gambling and alcohol, and lived in near poverty.

[14] Having only accomplished one year in the majors, he spent the rest of his life wondering if he was ever really good enough to have been there or if he was just an entertainment attraction for the owners to make money.

On Sunday, August 24, 2003, Gray was recognized by the Historical and Museum Commission in Pennsylvania when they placed a roadside marker in his hometown.