In his home debut after being traded to the Philadelphia Phillies, pitcher and outspoken Christian Michael Lorenzen threw a no-hitter (and his first complete game) on Wednesday, Aug. 9. After shutting out the Washington Nationals, the 31-year-old right-hander praised God while speaking to reporters.
Lorenzen, traded from the Cincinnati Reds at last week’s MLB trade deadline, became the first MLB pitcher in 63 years to throw a no-hitter in his home debut for a team. To celebrate, the Phillies grounds crew dug out the pitching rubber for Lorenzen to keep.
Michael Lorenzen throws the 14th no-hitter in Phillies history. His family’s reaction is everything.
pic.twitter.com/9NARDYMwK0
— MLB (@MLB) August 10, 2023
The pitcher, originally drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays in 2010, was cheered on by the home crowd, which included his mother, wife, and young daughter.
Michael Lorenzen: ‘I Just Had God’s Grace Today’
To complete the no-hitter, Michael Lorenzen needed a career-high 124 pitches. He struck out just five batters and walked four. “I didn’t strike out the world in this game,” Lorenzen said during a post-game press conference. “I just had God’s grace today. I definitely have to thank him for today and give him all the glory, just to be able to keep me calm and trusting in him. Whatever happened, I was just going to trust in him, and that’s kind of what I’ve been doing all season, trying to just lean on him.”
The Phillies acquired Lorenzen, a first-time All-Star this year, to help them return to the playoffs. As Sports Spectrum reported, the pitcher with a 7-7 record and a 3.23 ERA has come a long way in both his MLB career and his faith walk.
In 2016, Lorenzen told Renewed Strength Fitness about his upbringing in a broken home with parents who abused drugs and alcohol. By eighth grade, he said, he was smoking marijuana and getting drunk. One day when he was about 16 or 17, Lorenzen and his friends—all high on weed—went to a pier to get food.
“This guy was sharing about Jesus,” Lorenzen recalled. “He asked us if he could share something about God with us, and we kind of looked at him and laughed a little bit and said, ‘Sure, go ahead.’”
Despite being impaired, Lorenzen felt the Holy Spirit at work. “It was unbelievably convicting because [this man] broke down that it was more than just to believe in God… You have to serve and live for God; even the demons believe in God. That was something that hit me harder than anything.”
Hearing the Gospel Marked a ‘Turning Point’
After hearing the Gospel message, Lorenzen’s heart gradually opened to it. “I had to think about everything [the man] said. I think I was the only one who left that place and was really impacted,” he said. “God had chosen me to be spoken to, and I’m forever grateful for that reason that he chose me to speak into my life and change my life. Ever since that day, the seed was planted.”
Lorenzen started attending church with his brother, finding life and truth in the Bible’s teachings. “I ended up going up and giving my life to the Lord,” he said.
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