Baseball Player Risks Career Playing on Injured Hip

At 27 years old, Derrick Pyles was living his childhood dream. “I started playing when I was about six years old,” he told us. “I just always knew when I was a little boy, I wanted to be a professional baseball player. It’s something I feel like I was born to do—a God-given calling.”

Derrick was in his 7th season with a Triple A Club when his right hip started giving him trouble. “I think the constant wear and tear, it just started getting worse and worse for about eight months,” he said.

As an outfielder and designated hitter, Derrick relied on his speed and strength but the pain in his hip was slowing him down. Still, he continued to play and never told anyone about the injury.

“Players are a dime a dozen,” he said. “If they hear that you’re injured, it could cost you your job real quick. But I know that it was a constant nagging in the back of my mind knowing that this was bad, knowing that I really hadn’t told the coaches, knowing that I wasn’t at my very best. It was just really frustrating.”

One night, while on the road with the team, Derrick went to his hotel room after toughing out another game. But this time he knew he couldn’t play through the pain much longer and feared this could be the end of his season and possibly his career.  

“At that point in time I was desperate and I was like, ‘Lord, if you don’t do something, I’m going to be going home for the summer.’ It was time for him to either do something or I was going to be in really big trouble,” Derrick told us.

“I flipped on the TV, and I’ve seen the 700 Club before and it’s just there and it just seemed like the perfect timing, you know?”

As he watched, Gordon and Terry started praying, “Someone else with problems in your right hip,” said Gordon through the TV, “There’s grinding in the joint. God’s going to just give you back that hip joint, no pain, no discomfort in anything that you do. Just receive it now in Jesus’ name.”

“I just really felt his power begin to move on that part of my body,” said Derrick. “That’s when I knew that this was a true word from the Lord and it was for me,” he said with a smile. “My pain level the following day was pretty much nothing. Within about a day-and-a-half it was completely better. I didn’t feel the popping out of place or the grinding or anything like that.”

Derrick played his next game and the rest of the season, pain free. “The fact that I was able to finish the season was a big deal and it wasn’t just for me. I really want to go out every year and really do well and see better for my family each year too."

After several more successful seasons, Derrick retired from playing baseball and went on to become a team manager. He uses every opportunity to witness to his players and fans about God's power to heal.

"We can pray big and pray small. You know, and really believe God for small things and pray for big things, and pray for miracles,” he said to us. “As long as our heart’s right to really honor the Lord with it and really give Him all the glory, that God will do great things with our lives.”