Tuesday night I couldn't go to sleep. I clicked on the hotel TV and found my beloved Atlanta Braves playing the Colorado Rockies. It was the 9th inning, and the score was tied at 6-6.

The game continued. As the innings progressed, the Rockies used all of their relief pitchers. (Major league teams have 25 person rosters, 10 of which are usually pitchers. Of those, four or five are starters, and the rest are relievers.)

Without any relief pitchers left on the bench, the starting pitcher from the night before was sent out to pitch an inning. He had pitched numerous innings the night before but went out again and held the Braves.

In the 12th inning, the Rockies had a terrible choice. Should they send out one of their two remaining starting pitchers, who would have to play over the next two days, or a utility player? They chose to send an injured catcher, Brent Mayne, to the mound.

The manager asked him: "Can you pitch?"

"Sure" said Brent, even though he had never pitched at any level in his life.

A few pitches went over the catcher's head. One flew behind a batter's back, but Mayne managed to get the Braves to ground into two grounders and a fly ball out to get the Rockies out of the inning. In the bottom of that inning, Mayne's position came up to hit. With an injured batting hand, he couldn't. So the Rockies sent out a new player who had never had a hit in the major leagues. Of course he drove a run in to win the game.

Why tell this story? Because sometimes [Christian workers] have to fill uncomfortable positions. Sometimes you have to do it even when you are hurt. You have to go out there and take one for the team.