Erik Kratz, MLB Catcher
Sports Spectrum Podcast
Sports Spectrum
5 • 661 Ratings
🗓️ 2 April 2020
⏱️ 29 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
BONUS EPISODE
Selected in the 29th round of the 2002 MLB Amateur Draft by the Toronto Blue Jays, Erik Kratz has lived the pro baseball life for the past 18 years.
He waited eight years until finally making his MLB debut in July 2010 at the age of 30 with the Pittsburgh Pirates. His MLB journey has taken him from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia, Toronto, Kansas City, Philadelphia, Houston, Pittsburgh and the Yankees in 2017.
In 2018, he was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers and was part of a team that came within one game of the World Series. In the 2018 NLDS against Colorado, Kratz went 5-for-7 with two RBI, including a three-hit game in the clinching Game 3. He was the oldest player to make his postseason debut since Lave Cross of the Philadelphia Athletics in 1905.
In 2019, Erik played for four different teams including Milwaukee, San Francisco, Tampa and back to the Yankees.
On this episode of the podcast, we talk to Erik about how his life and his baseball journey is currently being affected by the Coronavirus outbreak, his thoughts on returning to play this season, his hope to play in the Olympics and the lesson God has taught him during these last few weeks in quarantine.
For more stories of sports and faith, check out our website - http://SportsSpectrum.com
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome to Sports Spectrum, the Sports and Faith podcast that brings Jesus back into the conversation. |
| 0:17.5 | Here's your host, Jason Romano. |
| 0:20.2 | Hey, everyone, welcome to the show. |
| 0:22.0 | I am Jason Romano. |
| 0:23.5 | Our guest today is Eric Kratz, longtime Major League Baseball Catcher. |
| 0:28.5 | And, of course, our show is presented today by IJM, helping to protect more than 150 million people from violence worldwide international justice mission. |
| 0:38.3 | You can learn more about the great work they are doing by going to their website, IJM.org |
| 0:44.2 | slash TF, join the fight to end slavery in our lifetime and look to become a freedom partner today. |
| 0:52.4 | We are excited to welcome back, Kratz to the show. |
| 0:55.9 | If you're a listener to the Sports Spectrum podcast, he was featured on the March 8th, |
| 1:00.6 | 2019 edition of the show. |
| 1:03.2 | And that's where we got into his journey growing up, his crazy baseball journey and |
| 1:08.4 | certainly his walk with Jesus and what that journey has been like spiritually |
| 1:12.4 | for him. Eric has been through it all when you look at his baseball career. He was selected in the |
| 1:18.4 | 29th round of the 2002 MLB draft. So the odds are stacked against him right there in the 29th round. |
| 1:25.8 | Eight years later, he makes his Major League Baseball debut, July 17th, 2010 with Pittsburgh, |
| 1:32.6 | and then he's headed over to Philadelphia. |
| 1:36.6 | And he goes with Philadelphia, Toronto, Kansas City, back to Philadelphia, Houston, |
| 1:42.4 | the Yankees, Milwaukee. |
| 1:44.6 | He actually had a really good 2018 season with the Brewers, |
| 1:48.0 | where he went five for eight in the 2018 NLDS, which the Brewers won. |
| 1:53.7 | And then the 2019 season, he finds himself starting with Milwaukee, |
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