. >>> young man was not stopped and got on the mound at theity top of his game. >> walker smallwood ofh school in kentucky dreamed of pitching in the pros until he started to post very disappointing numbers. six surgeries, six chemo cycle. 24 treatments and 18 hospital stays. >> break. >> back in 2018, the promising lefty was diagnosed with a rare bone cancer in his leg. he is now in remission but his baseball career passed. >> it was devastating. >> reporter: walker's mom, pam. >> he just kept asking, can i just pitch? and we kept saying no, you know, you just really can't. >> at the time, i guess i was just kind of in denial, because my whole life day in, day out was kind of built around baseball. and sports. >> reporter: but no, that left leg was too fragile. he resigned to games of catch. before stepping off the mound for good. his parents and coach decided to let him start one last game for old time's sake. >> what we agreed to was an inning, a few batters. >> do it and have fun and that will be it. obviously that is not what happened. >> reporter: here's what did. in the first in