Former N.Y. Yankee great Bobby Richardson brought inspiration to around 100 men and boys on Thursday at Clarke Venable Baptist Church’s Next Level Men’s Ministry event.
Richardson, 82, played 10 seasons at second base from 1955 to 1960, and helped the Yankees win nine American League pennants.
Richardson remains the only player to ever be named as the World Series MVP for a losing team, winning the award in 1960 after he set Series records for RBIs and hits against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
After Clarke Venable Pastor Mark Vincent introduced a highlight video of Richardson’s greatest plays in the sanctuary, the five-time Golden Glove Award winner spoke about his dedication to his Christian faith.
Also, in the audience was fellow former Yankee Andy Phillips, who played five seasons in the majors including four with the Yankees and is now the assistant baseball coach at his alma mater, the University of Alabama.
Phillips recalled when he first met Richardson during one of the Yankees’ Old Timers Days while he was rookie.
“There’s not another person I know that I hold in as high regard as this man just because of who he is,” Phillips said. “I tell people all the time, when I grow up, this is the man I want to be.”
Richardson shared several stories from his playing days, that ranged from the humorous to the spiritual, including the account of not making his high school baseball team as a freshman in Sumter, S.C. Richardson did get to play on the local American Legion team that year and they won the state championship, earning the chance to play against the top American Legion team from North Carolina.
“Before that game, they took us to see a movie and the name of that film as “The Pride of the Yankees,” the story of Lou Gehrig,” Richardson said. “I remember seeing that film and thinking ‘what a great organization and I’d loved to be a part of that.”‘
After a stellar high school career, Richardson got a chance to play for his dream team and became the 10th Yankee to have their own day at Yankee Stadium, joining hall of famers such as Babe Ruth, Gehrig, and his own teammate, Mickey Mantle.
“That was an honor that I appreciated so much, and the Yankees were so gracious to me,” he said.
Richardson also told the story of how he became his team’s spiritual leader, and other classic events of Yankees lore, including teammates Roger Maris and Mantle’s quest to break Ruth’s single season home run record in 1961.
He also told the story of he and his wife, Betsy, helping Mantle find salvation before his death in 1995.
Richardson has been traveling to different churches around the U.S. spreading his story of Christian faith for more than five decades.
“When I retired from baseball, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes asked me if I would represent them, and that’s when I started traveling,” he said. “That lasted for a year or two, and then I thought, well I should be going anywhere anytime.”
Richardson also coached at Coastal Carolina College and at Liberty University.
The church also gave out several door prizes including copies of Richardson’s book “Impact Player: A Memoir of Bobby Richardson” and autographed baseballs in the church’s education center.
Richardson also spoke with the ECCC and Newton County baseball teams earlier on Thursday.
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