Be On Guard!
It happened this past Tuesday, May 12th, in Philadelphia. The LA Dodgers had come to town to play the World champion Phillies. With two out in the bottom of the 7th inning, Jayson Werth, the Phillies’ right-fielder, had gotten on base with a single.
He carefully watched the pitcher’s action, and, at the precise moment, he bolted for second. Russ Martin, the Dodgers’ catcher, caught the pitch & rifled it to second, but not in time. The throw to second is most difficult, for it is the farthest base from the catcher. A good base-stealer can make second, without too much problem.
Getting to third is a little more tricky; third is closer to the catcher. Jim Rollins, who followed him, had walked. With still two out, and runners now at first and second, Werth looked for his opportunity. The pitch was low and outside to the “leftie” at bat. With the catcher now off-balance, Werth made a dash to third, and Rollins stole second. Martin didn’t even try to throw to third.
Will Ohman, the Dodgers’ pitcher, is a little “rattled” by now. He walked the “leftie.” The bases are now loaded. There are still two out. Pedro Feliz, a right-handed batter, now came to the plate. Pedro’s stance in the right-hand batter’s box put him in the perfect position to block Martin’s view of Werth on third base.
In his journey around the bases, Jayson had been noticing how Martin tended to “lob” the ball back to the pitcher after each pitch. That “lob” would give Jayson just the split seconds necessary to pull off the perfect steal: of home plate!
Ohman had pumped a 93-MPH fastball across the plate. Feliz stood in the batter’s box, as Werth took a sizeable lead off third. Martin didn’t see it, as he lobbed the ball back to Ohman. Werth bolted for home, and beat the pitcher’s return throw to Martin!
In the last 67 years of baseball, only nine players have done this feat of stealing three bases in one inning. Werth was #10.
Satan also looks for unguarded moments, times when we feel secure in ourselves to resist temptation. Satan has the motivation of a roaring lion. He’s out to spiritually kill us! Sobriety, vigilance and faithful resistance are necessary to keep Satan at bay (I Pet. 5:8, 9).
If we don’t keep up our spiritual guard, Satan will steal us away from our Savior! What are you doing, to build up your faith in Christ?
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