Denard Span has been around baseball a long time. He was selected in the first round of the 2002 MLB Amateur Draft by the Minnesota Twins at the age of 18.
Now, 16 years later, he’s a 34-year-old veteran contributing to a Seattle team hoping to make a playoff push.
On Thursday night, the Mariners faced one of the best pitchers in the American League in Justin Verlander. Span hit a triple and home run in his first two at-bats against the former Cy Young winner.
.@thisisdspan left NO doubt on that one. 💪
A two-run blast to right and it's a 5-0 ballgame in Houston. pic.twitter.com/J8JFHMddQF
— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) August 10, 2018
Span later added a single to finish the game 3-for-3 with three RBIs and two runs scored in a game Seattle needed as it looks to keep pace for a playoff berth.
After starting this season in Tampa, Span was traded to the Mariners in May. Since his arrival in Seattle, he’s hit .304 with five HRs and 22 RBIs in 55 games.
Last month, Span shared his thoughts on being traded and uprooting his family on the Sports Spectrum podcast.
“It was very difficult,” he said. “It was something I’ve never had to go through. One day you’re playing for one team and the next day, you’re on another team. It’s an upside-down experience. It was difficult. It’s been a whirlwind.”
Span says his faith in Christ is at the center of who he is.
“Annie (his wife) and I talk about it all the time,” Span said. “We have to find time to pray together, get in the Word, even if it’s for a couple of minutes a day. Just making sure we stay connected to Him. It seems like all we’ve been through is God speaking to us to go forward, be obedient and just trust in Him and He will guide us.”
The Mariners are currently 2.5 games behind division rival Oakland for the second wild card spot in the American League. Their four-game series with Houston continues Friday.
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