Daniel Poncedeleon pitched a no-hitter last night for seven innings for the St. Louis Cardinals in his Major League debut. Unfortunately, because of needing to pinch hit for him and because of a high pitch count, his manager made the most difficult decision to take him out of the game. More unfortunately, the Cardinals’ designated “closer” Bud Norris gave up a couple of runs in that last inning and the Cardinals lost 2-1. But, here’s the real story. Not only was this Poncedeleon’s first ever game to pitch in the Major Leagues, he is fortunate that he ever got the chance to pitch. Last season while playing for the AAA Minor League team of the Cardinals, a batted ball struck Poncedeleon in the head causing a serious injury. His Major League start last night was the celebration after surgery, days of clinging to life in the ICU, and months of rehabilitation. As a baseball fan, his story is a great one. But, as a Christian, there is more to the story. Last night after the game, the anchor of ESPN did a live interview with Poncedeleon. The second question was, “How is your life different since being hit in the head with the line drive.” Poncedeleon is a pitcher, but as a Christian, he hit a home run. “Honestly,” he did … [Read more...]