By Milo Haskour –
Blake Treinen – the pitcher who got the Dodgers out of a jam in the 6th and 8th innings to help win the World Series on Tuesday – praised God after their victory.
“God is absolutely good. I gotta give a shout out to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,” he said after the game on Crosswalk. “It’s the favor of the Lord on my body. I’ve been praying just to be ready and able for this team when they need me.
They needed him in the 6th and 8th innings when the Yankees had men on base. Ultimately, the Dodgers prevailed 7-6 to clinch their 8th World Series in five games. “God’s rewarded me. I’ve been very blessed,” Treinen said.
Treinen is one of several Dodgers who also count themselves as members of Christ’s team.
“We’ve been having a great network of people (at the Dodgers) to keep us strong, keep the faith, and it’s been really good,” said Freddie Freeman, who introduced mass production to the home run industry.
Another Christian player is veteran pitcher Clayton Kershaw.
When the Dodgers hosted the “LGBTQ Pride Night” that mocked Christians in 2023, Kershaw pushed back against the organization for inviting “The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence,” a group of drag queens who satirize Catholicism.
“I don’t agree with making fun of other people’s religions,” Kershaw said. “It has nothing to do with anything other than that. No matter what religion you are, you shouldn’t make fun of somebody else’s religion. So that’s something that I definitely don’t agree with.”
Kershaw pushed the Dodgers to bring back Christian Faith and Family Day, which was, in his words, expedited.
“We are grateful for the opportunity to talk about Jesus and determined to make it bigger and better than it was before COVID,” he said.
A surprise Christian on the Dodgers is Shohei Ohtani, the legendary pitcher/hitter compared to Babe Ruth. Although he hasn’t spoken much about his faith, it is reported he is a practicing Christian.
This is surprising because most Japanese are atheists, Buddhists or ancestor worshippers. Christians make up only 1% of the population in Japan.
Reliever Michael Kopech said, “My relationship with Christ is the most important thing in my life.”
“God has his hand in everything. There’s a sense of peace within knowing that as big as (Major League Baseball) may feel, it’s not even close to the biggest state. It takes a whole load off myself to realize that there’s someone else in control.”
Shortstop Mookie Betts proclaimed on Instagram: “Just want to thank God, my Family and The Fans! I GET TO DO WHAT I LOVE! #Favor #Faith #Family.”
Utility player Tommy Edman has his priorities straight: “Obviously, as a baseball player, your goal is to win the World Series. But I think for me, my goal is to be able to use the platform that I have to impact as many people as I can. It’s important for me as a Christian to be able to spread the word of God as much as I can.”
Third baseman Max Muncy is mindful of his Christian witness. “I think the most important thing is to put ourselves out there among other people. Show them what it truly means to be a Christian and not criticize other people and not to say they’re doing things wrong. But to show them that when you’re a Christian this is what can happen and show what it really, really means to love Jesus.”
Manager Dave Roberts also chimed in about faith: “My relationship with Christ is the most important thing in my life”. Robert is earning long-overdue plaudits for his deft leadership of the team.
To learn more about a personal relationship with Jesus, click here
About this writer: Milo Haskour studies at the Lighthouse Christian Academy near the San Fernando Valley.
