Carlos Correa nearly faced a life-or-death situation last summer while boating with his family.
During a family outing on Lake Minnetonka in Minnesota, the then-Minnesota Twins shortstop experienced leg cramps while swimming with his three-year-classic son, Kylo.
Kylo was wearing a life jacket, but Correa was not. He struggled to reach a buoy, but slipped and fell back into the water, injuring his left hand as he grabbed the buoy’s chain.
With Kylo still on his shoulders, Correa cried out for help and offered a prayer.
“Lord, save me. I promise you that if you save me from this, I will serve you and I will serve you forever,” he said.
Correa’s father-in-law heard his cries for help, swam from the boat and delivered a life jacket. After clinging to the buoy, Correa was finally able to reach the jacket and catch his breath after minutes of struggle.
Just two weeks after the harrowing incident, the 2015 American League Rookie of the Year was traded back to the Houston Astros.
Correa, now 31, shared his story with MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart following a Spring Training workout with the Astros.
“I thought, ‘From that moment on, I’m going to serve you.’ I am going to keep my promise. And from that moment, I’ve been fully devoted,” Correa said.
Since then, Correa has deepened his faith and began hosting weekly Bible study sessions with friends, family, and teammates at his home in Houston during the offseason.
“We were doing really fun things, and people were so drawn to it that everyone was looking forward to every Saturday to get together. It became a tradition, and then I came (to spring training) and it was hard to leave church back home, but we’re working on doing some things during the season. Maybe before some day games, after Sunday games,” Correa explained.
Correa’s family, also based in Houston, attends Champions Forest Baptist Church. He has expressed his desire to preach to Pastor Jarrett Stephens.
His first sermon was delivered at a retirement home in Houston.
“He did a wonderful job. He stayed as long as people wanted to talk to him, and he spoke with each of them. They were very happy. They still question me, ‘When is Carlos coming back?’” Stephens said in the report.
Correa, who was unable to represent Puerto Rico in this month’s World Baseball Classic due to insurance policy issues covering his contract, is entering his twelfth season in the majors. The three-time All-Star, the first Puerto Rican player selected first overall in the MLB draft in 2012, has won a World Series championship and a Gold Glove.
“It’s easier to have faith when things are going well, when everything is beautiful, when everything is great and when you are loved, but when you face some trials in your life, how are you going to react? Some storms don’t come to your life to drown you,” he said.
1 / 13 | Fotos | La trayectoria de Carlos Correa en el béisbol . Carlos Correa se convirtió en 2012 en el primer jugador boricua en ser seleccionado en el primer turno de un sorteo de novatos de las Grandes Ligas por los Astros de Houston. Recibió un bono de $4.8 millones. Desde su elección, siempre ha demostrado ser un deportista destinado a sobresalir. – The Associated Press
