'It gave me something to always be rooted in': St. Louis Cardinals' Kyle Gibson reveals how his faith shaped his identity

Major League Baseball pitcher Kyle Gibson revealed that his first baseball injury led him to becoming a devout Christian.

"I was born in a Christian home in Greenfield, Indiana, and a lot of my childhood is filled with memories of going to church," Gibson explained.

The pitcher has played in the majors since 2013, beginning his career with the Minnesota Twins. It has been a long road, however.

Gibson was drafted out of high school by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 36th round of the 2006 MLB June Amateur Draft. It would be seven years until he busted into the MLB after playing in minor leagues in Florida, Arizona, and more.

His Christian faith, though, was always part of his career path.

"I don't remember a time not going to church. From October through March, every Sunday we were in church. From March to October we were always playing baseball. Not to be said that faith wasn't a big part of our family because it was. We prayed before practices. Prayed before meals. Always had family meals ... it was always there but baseball was always constantly in the way. It really wasn't in the way but I allowed it to be in the way because I enjoyed being the baseball player Kyle Gibson."

In an interview with Sports Spectrum, Gibson recalled the exact moment and reason his faith was cemented. An injury gave him time to explore how he wanted to feel about himself and what his priorities as a young man would be.

"When I was 15, I made a play at shortstop, I heard a ripping noise in my elbow, and honestly I was so devastated because I had nothing else to put my life invested in. I thought I was never going to play again; ended up needing surgery. That took baseball away from me for probably about five or six months," he remembered.

"That was the first summer that I got the chance to go on a youth retreat and to go to Ridge Crest, North Carolina, to really dive in to what faith in Jesus can do for my life, for seven straight days."

Gibson said that the summer of 2003 "drastically changed" him, after he came to the realization that Jesus needed to be a much larger priority in his life.

"It just gave me a completely new perspective on life, and it gave me something to base my life identity on. And no longer was I a baseball player who went to church, I was a follower of Christ and a believer in Jesus that played baseball," Gibson added.

The pitcher called it "the coolest life-changing event ever."

According to the website What Christians Want to Know, Gibson's former Minnesota teammate Brian Dozier said he could tell immediately that Gibson's "walk of faith" was important to him. Dozier lauded the religious work Gibson and his wife, Elizabeth, participate in.

"Kyle and Elizabeth do a lot of good things during the season with community work, leading others to Christ. At our last Faith Night at Target Field held after a ball game, Kyle gave his testimony so the people heard his story about coming to Christ and his faith walk with Christ."

"Kyle and Elizabeth have taken mission trips in the off-season as have my wife and I. Living a Christian life style and letting others see Christ living in him are most important to Kyle," Dozier added.

Gibson, 36, has also noted that in the past, he believed that he and his wife "have been put in this specific spot [professional baseball] to do God’s work."

The MLB All-Star said that a faith in Jesus has given him "something to always be rooted in" and something to always guide him and provide a sense of direction. Gibson said it is what allows him to be "always knowing why I'm here and what my purpose is."

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!