Jonny DeLuca: baseball is a god that disappoints
The Rays outfielder tied Game 4 in the 12th and spoke of an emptiness that not even the World Series can fill.
In Tampa, Milwaukee led 3-2 in the 12th and was three outs from a sweep. Jonny DeLuca tied it, and Tampa won Game 4, 4-3. DeLuca says baseball is a god that disappoints, Sports Spectrum reported.
Three outs and a single
On Tuesday, in the top of the 12th inning, Milwaukee shortstop Cooper Pratt hit a solo home run that broke the 2-2 tie and put the Brewers up 3-2. That left them three outs from the sweep and from the first World Series title in franchise history.
In the bottom half, DeLuca answered with an RBI single. Then, with the bases loaded, Ben Williamson hit a ball to right field, Nick Fortes scored, and Tampa made it 4-3. Milwaukee still leads the series 3-1, and Game 5 is Wednesday at 8:00 p.m. ET at Tropicana Field, broadcast on Fox.
«Baseball can give you the at-bat; it can't give you peace.»
One stat shows the size of the feat: the Rays are the fifth of 26 teams that, after losing the first three games of a World Series, won the fourth. None has come back from 3-0. They also snapped an eight-game winning streak by the Brewers.
DeLuca came into Game 4 batting 2 for 11 in the series. That night he went 1 for 5, but the one hit was worth the whole night. He told reporters the team is playing with freedom, with nothing to lose, and taking it one day at a time.
At 27, he has four seasons in the majors, three with Tampa after debuting with the Dodgers. In the regular season he hit .266 with 11 home runs, 50 RBIs and 17 stolen bases in 112 games, his highest totals. Against Cleveland, in the American League Championship Series, he collected four hits, three RBIs and a stolen base.
The emptiness the stadium can't fill
Before the series, DeLuca told CBN Sports that he plays to give glory to God and that his identity is rooted in Jesus. The strongest line he left was about the sport that puts food on his table: "This game of baseball is super fun and it's rewarding, but it's a very poor god and it's going to let you down every time" (Sígueme translation).
This isn't a loser's speech. It's the conclusion of someone who has already tasted success. He told Travel Chapel that he accepted Christ at age 11, though it took him a while to understand the faith. At 16, a serious injury playing baseball led to part of a kidney being removed; that's when he realized he doesn't control his life.
He also told Travel Chapel that reaching the top doesn't guarantee the satisfaction you imagine. An emptiness remains, a sense that there should be something more. And that emptiness, he said, is exactly the entry point to understanding that Christ does satisfy.
His conclusion isn't to stop working hard. It's to understand that effort buys nothing before God. He said the gospel runs against the logic of piling up merit, because the work was already completed on the cross, and what remains is to receive Christ and live with the hope of eternal life.
Where your identity is anchored
The psalmist puts it plainly: "My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever" (Psalm 73:26, ESV). He doesn't deny the wear and tear; he changes where he gets his portion from.
Baseball can give you the at-bat; it can't give you peace. The same goes for the exam that has you nervous, the job you're looking for, the relationship you're hoping for. None of those things is bad; the problem is asking them for what only God gives.
This week DeLuca steps back to the plate in a Game 5 that Tampa needs to win to stay alive. He may get another hit or he may miss. His hope doesn't change either way. Where is yours anchored? Write to us and tell us which idol is asking for the place that only Christ should hold.
