By Mallory Mattingly
New York Mets pitcher Nolan McLean wants to “help others get closer to Christ,” just like his grandfather did.
“Growing up, I always knew and felt there was something out there, that there was a God of some kind,” the pitcher shared in 2022 on Sports Spectrum’s “Table Forty” podcast. “I didn’t really know what, so I started researching and reading and started reading the Bible.”
The turning point came after the death of McLean’s grandfather, who was a strong Christian. When the athlete stepped away from the team to attend the funeral, he saw over 1,000 people that his grandfather had impacted.
“Just seeing how many people that my granddad had an impact on, he did that with a platform in Andrew, North Carolina, with nobody,” McLean said on the “Sports Spectrum” podcast. “And I’m over here worried about all this other stuff when I could be devoting my life to God and helping out other people on a much bigger platform than what my granddad did it on.”
Related: Mets Pitcher Leans on Christ Amid Playoff Run: ‘God Is So Good’
After the funeral, McLean began to pursue Christ on his own. He developed a personal relationship with the Lord.
“I want to be able to teach people,” he added. “If someone asks me a question, I want to be able to answer it and help others get closer to Christ.”
Now, McLean uses his faith to lead him on the field.
“A full love and compassion for Him makes everything on the field go so much smoother,” he said on the “Table Forty” podcast.
“I think playing with that sort of faith outside of the field, there’s only so much wrong that can go on the field,” he continued. “At the end of the day, I’m still God’s son. I’m still His child. He loves me. He doesn’t care if I went 0-for-4 or hit four jacks, He’s going to love me regardless.”
McLean learned that “no matter what kind of day you had, I don’t want anybody to know if I had a good day or bad day at the plate or in the field or on the mound, whatever it might have been. I think when you look at life, about the personal aspect and the relationships you have, then baseball is only a small little fraction of that. You can always be nice to somebody or you can always be in your best mood.”
McLean will step on the mound March 5-17 where he will join Team USA at the World Baseball Classic in Miami. Shortly after, the Mets will have their season opener on March 26.
Read Next: How His Grandfather’s Death Inspired This Mets Pitcher to Share the Gospel
Questions or comments? Please write to us here.
– Content: +2Share:
– Content: +4