Every Young Athlete Dreams

EVERY YOUNG ATHLETE DREAMS of his first day in the big leagues. But few experience the amazing debut that Jason Jennings had in 2001.

The rookie pitcher for the Colorado Rockies drew his first major league assignment against the New York Mets at Shea Stadium. A 62-minute rain delay postponed Jennings’ first pitch, and the Texan attempted a New York Times crossword puzzle to calm his nerves and pass the time.

When the skies cleared, Colorado staked the 23-year-old right-hander to a 3–0 lead. Jennings survived two shaky innings, getting an assist from right fielder Larry Walker for the game’s first out and starting a 1-6-3 double play on Rey Ordonez’s grounder to end the second. The Rockies padded the lead to 5–0 with two runs in the fifth. For the game, Jennings, the 1999 Collegiate Player of the Year, allowed only five hits and struck out eight.

Jennings added to his terrific pitching outing with a 3-for-5 performance at the plate. In his second at bat, he singled to left. With runners on first and second in the seventh, the pitcher lined an RBI-single to right. The rookie capped the night by shooting Donne Wall’s first pitch in the ninth over the right-field wall for the game’s final run in a 10–0 triumph.

Jennings’ performance marked the first time since 1900 that a hurler threw a shutout and hit a home run in his first major league game.

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POINT The former Baylor University player accomplished a feat no one had matched in a century! Although he must have been afraid and nervous all at the same time, Jennings didn’t show stress after the second inning. He relaxed enough to get three hits, including the homer, and a shutout victory on the mound.

In the Bible, Jesus tells us not to worry about the future. Instead we should concentrate on each moment. By living in the present, we’ll be able to deal better with the troubles that come our way.

GOAL! Practice some of these stress-reducing methods as you praise God for his calming presence.