Bobby Richardson is one of my spiritual heroes. What a blessing to meet this awesome witness for Christ who led Mickey Mantle to faith in Christ before he died. This story makes me love Bobby even more!
It was the seventh game of the 1962 World Series between the New York Yankees and the San Francisco Giants. The Giants had a man on second base, which put him near New York Yankee All-Star second baseman, Bobby Richardson. When the Yankees decided to pause the game and change pitchers, Richardson, a very strong witness for Christ, seized the moment as an opportunity to share the Gospel. While the new pitcher was warming up, Richardson walked over to the man on second base and asked him if he knew Jesus Christ as his personal Lord and Savior......in the seventh game of a World Series!
When the base runner reached home and then went to the dugout, he asked fellow Giants’ teammate, Felipe Alou, who was also a strong Christian, what in the world was going on with Richardson. He yelled out, "How can you people talk about Jesus in the seventh game of a World Series???"
There is something more important than a baseball game. It is the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Peter and John were so moved by the Gospel that they were willing to suffer beatings for the Name of Jesus and then boldly proclaimed, "We cannot help but speak the things which we have heard and seen!"