As the baseball playoffs get underway, a shout-out to Yankee great Bobby Richardson is appropriate. Bobby played second base for the Yankees from 1955 to 1966. I’m not a Yankee fan, but I remember him well because he was from my home state of South Carolina. He was an 8-time all-star, won three World Series, and is the only man in baseball history to win the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award for a World Series when his team lost. It was 1960, and the Pirates came from behind to win game 7 and take the title. But Bobby’s 0.367 batting average and 12 RBIs won him the MVP, and since he had four children, he traded his MVP Corvette for a Chevrolet station wagon! (I was in the 9th grade and listened to parts of game 7 on a new-fangled device called a transistor radio. It was a day game, and I was in class!)

I was delighted to learn a few days ago that he’s still around at age 88 and still with Betsy, his wife of 67 years.

Bobby at Yankee Stadium in 1960 and at the Old-Timer’s game in 2018

None of that would merit a blog. What does merit space in this column is his outspoken faith and lifetime of ministry. He’s a poster boy for “workplace ministry” – that is, God has people everywhere, even in professional baseball. There are way more believers in baseball today than there were in Bobby’s day, and that’s partly because of him. Here are some snippets from a nice piece by Michael Hughes of World Magazine: A Most Valuable Player: How One Man’s Faithful Witness Continues to Bear Fruit in Major League Baseball.

…his legacy has little to do with base hits or ­fielding prowess. Richardson left a mark on the game because of his faith. Not many outspoken Christians filled the clubhouses back then. “When I first started out, there were just two or three,” he said.

But everyone knew where Richardson stood. When the Yankees were on the road, he arranged to take willing teammates to church. On one weekend trip midway through his career, he got a phone call from Watson Spoelstra, a sportswriter with The Detroit News.

“Hey, Rich,” Spoelstra said, “would you like to attend church with me? We’ll be back in plenty of time for batting practice. I’ll come back to the park and pick you up.” “Count on it,” Richardson replied. “I’ll get some teammates to come with me.” Catcher Elston Howard and shortstop Tony Kubek were among the invitees, along with superstar Mickey Mantle.

Mantle rarely committed to Sunday mornings the first time he was asked. He would sometimes say, “Yeah, OK, but if I’m not there when you’re ready, go ahead without me. You know I’ll be out late the night before.”

But he did go to church that day. Ordinarily, Mantle attracted so much attention that it was hard to leave after the service and return in time to prepare for an afternoon game. This time, the players planned to slip out the back before the benediction. Still, several church members ­followed them out. Before the men could climb into their taxi, the pastor ran out and shouted, “I want my picture taken with Mickey!”

The players were late getting back. When team broadcaster Red Barber, who was also a lay minister, heard what happened, he had a suggestion. “Wouldn’t it be good if we could have a devotion right here in the clubhouse?” he asked Richardson.

The team soon gave Barber permission to lead Sunday services for the players. That was the start of Baseball Chapel, an organization that provides evangelical, non-­denominational chaplains to baseball teams at all levels. The ministry eventually became a model for Christian outreach in other sports.

… Baseball Chapel officially started in 1973. Every major league team had access to trained chaplains within two years, and every minor league team was involved by ’78. Over time, the group added weekday prayer services and Bible studies. The international organization now ministers to players’ families and the umpires as well. It also provides specialized ministry to the sport’s Spanish-speaking players. Richardson’s 10-year run as president of Baseball Chapel began in 1983…Today, the organization begins discipling players at the very beginning of their careers, a process that continues as they advance.

… Although his faith was rare in the majors at that time, Richardson had no trouble fitting in with his teammates. He and Mantle shared a strong bond despite their different paths and pursuits. Richardson abstained from strong drink and preferred the early hours and a good night’s rest. The famous slugger loved the nightlife, and heavy alcohol consumption hastened his death.

…Partly in response to Richardson’s ministry, Mantle ­professed faith in Jesus Christ before he died from liver ­failure in 1995. Richardson spoke at the funeral, which was broadcast on national television.

We just reminded ourselves a few days ago about “as you go, make disciples.” Bobby Richardson did just that.

After this Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. And he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. And he went to see them, and because he was of the same trade he stayed with them and worked, for they were tentmakers by trade. (Acts 18.1 – 3, ESV. Aquila and Priscilla, trained by Paul while they were making tents, went on to make an impact in their own right. See Acts 18.18 – 26.)