www.intentionalwalk.org PLAYER HANDOUT WE NEED A GOOD CLOSER! MEMORY VERSE: For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. LUKE 9:24 1st – Warm-Up 2nd – Play Ball! DID YOU KNOW? In 1969, Major League Baseball began to keep a new Mariano Rivera, of the New York Yankees, is statistic—THE SAVE. Do you know what a SAVE is in base‐ the all‐time SAVES leader in Major League ball? How would you explain it to someone who did not Baseball. He retired in 2013, after 17 sea‐ know what it meant? sons, with 652 saves!! His nickname is THE The SAVE is when a pitcher (usually called “the SANDMAN! Do you know why? CLOSER”) comes into the game late and holds the lead for his team thus “saving the game.” The all time saves leader in baseball is Mariano Rivera of the New York Yankees who ended his career with a total of 652 saves. Mariano Rivera’s nickname is THE SANDMAN. The reason they call him this is because of his walkup music—”Enter the Sandman” by Met‐ allica. He has a .074 career earned run average. He is proba‐ bly considered to be the best closer in baseball history. He will soon enter the MLB Hall of Fame. Even though Mariano Rivera has pitched his best in the pressure of multiple playoff saves, he is not the best closer ever. I would say the best closer ever is Jesus. Jesus Christ, through his death and resurrection, made the great‐ est save of all time. His sacrifice on Calvary’s cross enabled 3rd – The 7th Inning Stretch all of us to be saved from our sins and spend eternity with Mariano Rivera would Him in heaven. He saved a sinful world! The only way we tell you his greatest ac‐ can ever win the game of life is to allow the greatest closer, complishment is having Jesus Christ to become the Lord of our lives. We have to turn a relationship with Je‐ everything over to Him and let him have control of the final sus Christ. READ MORE outcome. He has already defeated sin and death! Have you online by Google’ling asked the greatest closer to come in and SAVE you? If not, MARIANO RIVERA ask a parent, coach, or friend to help you pray the sinner’s TESTIMONY! He is a pray and ask Jesus to come into your heart. true believer who lives READ LUKE 24:44‐48 it out in his daily walk. SOURCE: http://www.fcabaseball.org/team‐devotionals HOME – Crossing the Plate! Have your parent search the internet for information about “SAVES in baseball”. Find out what situation(s) have to exist for a pitcher to get credit for a save. Then take out your Bible, turn the index in the back, and look up 2‐3 verses about Jesus and his saving grace. Share these with your family at dinner time. Also, share this devotion with your brothers/sisters. HOMEWORK – Work on memorizing LUKE 9:24 ( printed at top of page ). .