One of the bright spots for the 2024 Washington Nationals — and all of Major League Baseball in August — has been the play of outfielder Alex Call.
Since being called up from Triple-A Rochester in late July, the 29-year-old has been on a tear. Call has recorded at least two hits in each of Washington’s last six contests, and on Friday night at home against the Los Angeles Angels, his third hit of the evening sent Nationals Park into a frenzy as his walk-off single won the game, 3-2.
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ALEX CALLED GAME pic.twitter.com/SGfeWc7Wqg
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) August 10, 2024
“It looked like it was going right in his glove, so I was kind of deflated because I hit it hard,” Call told MLB.com after the game. “Then it just happened fast. I saw the ball just kind of floating, and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, he didn’t catch it. Time to have some fun.'”
In an interview with regional sports network MASN, Call was asked about his success since being called up to the majors.
“I’m the same guy, same player, just gonna give it all I have every day,” Call said. “Work hard and believe in myself and just trust in God that the results are gonna be there.”
Call was originally drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the third round in 2016 out of Ball State, but he didn’t make his MLB debut until July 11, 2022, with the Cleveland Guardians. He was claimed off waivers the following month by the Nationals and finished out the 2022 season in Washington. After playing 128 games for the Nationals in 2023, he began the 2024 season with Triple-A Rochester.
Call had a seven-game stint with the Nationals in April-May, and his most recent stretch in the majors has now lasted 13 games. In those 13 games, he’s posted an impressive .457 batting average with 21 hits and 10 RBIs.
Throughout Call’s baseball journey, he’s trusted in God, seen His faithfulness to him, and sought to give glory to his Heavenly Father at every opportunity. He frequently posts about his faith in Christ on Instagram, where he writes that he’s “Serving the Creator, my savior.”
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In July 2023, in the midst of his most lengthy stint in the majors, Call was a guest on the Sports Spectrum Podcast, where he discussed life as a pro baseball player, his involvement with Compassion International, and how he’s seen God at work in his life.
“Obviously this is something I want — to be in the major leagues — but also I want to be where He needs me,” Call said on the podcast. “And I want to be available and present to whatever He has for me.”
Call said he grew up with faithful parents who introduced him to faith at a young age, but it was later in life that he truly understood God’s call on his life to surrender all things to Him. Now as a professional, he’s seen God’s steadfast love for him, and he seeks to “be a light to whoever it is that I might run across.”
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“The more you can ground yourself in your faith, in Christ, in the Word, in your prayer, in your daily quiet time to really be like, ‘God, let me feel Your presence, let me see Your presence, let that be my focus and let it not be just me wanting to get hits,’ that is what keeps me grounded and that is what keeps me centered on the ultimate mission,” Call said.
He continued later: “‘Lord, it’s not about my performance. It’s not about my statistics. It’s about my heart for You, abiding in You, abiding with You.'”
Call and the rest of his Nationals teammates are set to play the first of a two-game series at Baltimore on Tuesday. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. ET.
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