Major League pitcher got second chance after surgery and prayers By John H. Adams The Layman Online Wednesday, October 3, 2001 ORLANDO, Fla. – Orel Hershiser, once one of the highest paid Major League Baseball players in America, took a familiar pose in an unfamiliar place as part of the Presbyterian Coalition's Gathering VI at First Presbyterian Church. He held a cherished baseball – which he had pitched after what many believed would be career-ending surgery – and talked briefly about his faith and prayer from the podium of First Presbyterian, where he is one of the congregation's 5,500 members. "This is a very special baseball," the former Los Angeles Dodger said. After gaining fame with the Dodgers as one of the best pitchers in the major leagues, Hershiser injured his shoulder in 1990. Surgeons placed three bone anchors in his shoulder and told him that it would be at least two years before he pitched again – if ever. No other professional baseball player had ever been able to pitch after suffering such an injury. But Hershiser worked hard to rehabilitate his arm, and much of that hard work was prayer with a group of Christian men. He was back on the mound May 29, 1991, and the first batter he faced in his comeback was Steve Finley of the Houston Astros. Finley fouled a pitch that was low and away into the stands over the third base dugout. "My good friend Harry Scolinos was there in the stands, surrounded by hundreds of fans who would have loved to snatch a foul ball," Hershiser said. But Scolinos, who was one of men who prayed regularly for Hershiser's recovery, caught the ball and gave it back to the Dodger star along with a plaque: Orel Returns May 29, 1991 For nothing is impossible with God Luke 1:37 Hershiser retired from baseball in 2000 after 18 years in the major leagues. He won 204 games and is considered a candidate for the Hall of Fame. More than half of his wins (105) came after his surgery. Hershiser told the Coalition audience that he learned the rudiments of the faith as a child and became a Christian when he was 21. He once sang the Doxology on the Johnny Carson show. He has recently written a book titled Between the Lines: Nine Principles to Live By, and signed copies at the Gathering.

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