A Perfect Game [In the Bullpen]

0:00Some things rarely take place in our game and when they do we should be grateful. Some things rarely take place in our world and for that we should be eternally grateful. Welcome to In the Bolton with Mark Dutton, brought to you by developing Contenders Ministries. You'll listen to the Fight Lab Peace Network. Thank you for joining us. And look who's coming up. I'm Michael, the right field. She is God! A perfect game at any level is rare. A perfect game and professional baseball is even rarer.

1:04In the 142 years of international league history there have been only five perfect games. The fifth came a week ago today. Thomas Pannon, who is a 32 year old left-handed pitcher, was pitching for the Nashville sounds, pitched a perfect game against Durham. 27 up and 27 down, not a single person reached base. And he did it on only 94 pitches. And not one of those pitches topped 91 miles per hour. What a remarkable achievement. Thomas Pannon is a man who has only briefly been in Major League Baseball. He had a couple of years where he made some appearances with the Blue Jays. And since 2020 he's only had two Major League appearances.

2:08In 2023 he had an appearance and he pitched two and two thirds innings. And in 2026 he made an appearance pitching three innings. Both of those with the Milwaukee Brewers. And Nashville is the AAA team for the Brewers. And the long time manager of the AAA team, whether they were in Colorado Springs, San Antonio or Nashville, is Rick Sweet. And Monday, last Monday was his birthday. It was on his birthday that Thomas Pannon pitched this perfect game. What a day, what a game. A perfect game. Everything I just said is not to be diminished in the least by what I'm about to say. What I'm about to say is indisputable truth. Thomas Pannon did not throw a perfect game. And what I mean by that is this.

3:11Thomas Pannon didn't throw every pitch where and how he intended. As a matter of fact, the 27th batter, eight and two thirds innings of perfect baseball, the 27th batter had a three ball no strike count on him. I guarantee you, Thomas Pannon had no intention of that happening. But then he threw a fastball right down the middle to make it 3-1. And the next pitch resulted in a ground ball to shortstop, a 6-3 put out, end of game, perfect game. And yet, not a perfect game. And I mention this to make a point about baseball. If you've been listening to In the Bullpen for any length of time, you know I believe that baseball is the greatest game on earth. And if you're a thinking person, you know so as well. And if you've listened to In the Bullpen, let's say an episode two or three weeks ago,

4:15you even know that I believe that baseball is not, quote, unquote, just a game. However, as great as baseball is, and I would argue, as important as it is, it is not perfect. And that for two fundamental reasons. First, we live in a fallen world. And secondly, all those involved in the game at any level and in any capacity are fallen human beings. Sin affects everything. Sin affects the world. Sin affects the game. Sin affects you and me. Sometimes, the effects of sin are more obvious and more deadly. Friday night, throughout Major League Baseball, but in particular in New York City,

5:15our game and our nation remembered the acts of wickedness against our country brought on us by Islamic terrorists. September 11, 2001. New York changed forever. In the moments that mattered most, the city's heroes responded without hesitation. In its darkest hours, New York showed us exactly what it was made of. Bravery. Compassion. Unity. 25 years later, two New York teams take the feel on September 11th. Not as rivals, but as New Yorkers. Somewhere helmets to play for New York, others wear them to protect them. Different uniforms, one city. 25 years later, we remember September 11th, 2001.

6:22That was the Yes Network introduction for the game Friday night at Yankee Stadium, Yankees versus the Metz. And as you likely could tell, those voices were the voices of Joe Torrey and Bobby Valentine. Torrey and Valentine managed against one another in the 2000 World Series, the Subway Series. And they were both managers of the Yankees and Metz respectively in 2001. They spoke about bravery, compassion, unity, all good qualities for men and for nations. But of course, we always have to ask when we talk about something being good by what standard. Undoubtedly, New York changed forever. The United States of America changed forever. Our world changed forever. That is undoubtedly true.

7:24The question is how have we changed? What do we remember and what are we forgetting? During that game Friday night at Yankee Stadium, we got a reminder. Yeah! You are the best, you are the best, you are the best, you are the best. I believe this is the second episode in a row where I played an audio clip that if you have not seen it, you would have no idea what was going on.

8:26So let me explain. That was at Yankee Stadium Friday night, September 11, 2026. And at exactly 9.11 p.m., a man waving a Palestinian flag ran on to the field. What you did not see because you can't see it because it was only audio. What I would like you to see if you haven't seen it already is the body slam to the ground of this man. Now back in the day and by that, I mean back in the day when you could actually slide hard into second base to break up a double play back in the day when you could actually run over a catcher back in the day, at least from what I heard both playing for the mets and against the mets, that man would have been body slam to the ground on the field and then taken into the tunnel somewhere and body slammed a few more times. That was Friday night. And Saturday night, my wife and I watched when America took the field, a documentary

9:32about 9.11 that is on the MLB network. I highly recommend that you watch it. Throughout the Providence of God was evident. The greatness of baseball and of those involved in it was on full display. Are they perfect people? Is it a perfect game? Of course not. There has been no perfection on this planet since Adam and Eve sinned and fell in the garden. No perfection that is with one exception. That is when the Lord Jesus Christ took upon himself flesh and dwelt among us, walking on this earth for about 33 years, about 2000 years ago. That is wonderful and powerful as when America took the field is so much so that we had our five children that are still at home watch it Sunday night. And as much as the Providence of God was on display throughout, at least for those who

10:34have eyes to see, it lacked something very important. An acknowledgement of the Provincial work of Yahweh. There wasn't any explicit recognition of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and that they were demonstrating both judgment and wrath as well as love, grace and mercy. Going back to 2001, at 8.46 am on September 11th, the first plain hit, one of the World Trade Center towers. From that moment on, for that day and beyond, so much changed. In Major League Baseball games were canceled, canceled for consecutive days, and that was the first time such a thing had happened since World War One. There were six days when no baseball was played. But it was on September 17th, 2001 when America took the field.

11:39And they did so at stadiums around our country. Games were again being played. Good evening and welcome to Dodger Stadium. All of us have experienced a litany of emotions, whether it would be shock, disbelief and horror followed by grief, mourning and anger. All of us indeed have lost a lot. We have lost thousands of lives. We have lost some of our self-confidence. We have lost some of our freedom. And certainly we have lost a way of life. The President of the United States has said it is time to go back to work. And so, despite a heavy heart, baseball gets up out of the dirt, brushes itself off, and will follow his command, hoping in some small way to inspire the nation to do the same. All of the ball players in the Major League are wearing the American flag out of patriotism, yes, out of love of country, yes. But more so out of duty and of courage and to pronounce a national firmness of will.

12:46God bless us in our efforts. God bless America. That of course was the voice of the great Vinn Scully. And in that documentary, when America took the field, John Franco, Mike Piazza, Al Leiter and Todd Zeel were sitting in a movie studio and watching different highlights of things and talking among themselves. And in that, John Franco said this, quote, we put a small bandaid on a big wound. Now I'm not going to say end of quote because it goes on. But think about what Vinn Scully said and think about that quote from John Franco. But now let me read to you the whole quote, quote, we put a small bandaid on a big wound. And for those three hours that we played that game, we made the fans and the city heal a bit.

13:47Not to forget, but to heal. End of quote. That game, John Franco was referring to was the game between the New York Mets and the Atlanta Braves on September 21, 2001. The first game played in New York City since 9-11. That game, which included this iconic home run. Hope has once in a way. And it's a big telephoto. Andrew Jones on the run. This one has a chance. And as Mike Piazza watched that home run sitting in that studio with Al Eider, Todd,

14:48Zillian John Franco, one of the men asked him about that home run and the importance of that home run in light of the entirety of his Hall of Fame career. And he answered quite simply, it's on my Hall of Fame plaque. And that is something that would never happen with a regular season home run. So arguably, and some might say there's no argument at all, that is the most iconic home run in the history of Major League Baseball given the situation. And arguably, some might say there's no argument at all, the most iconic first pitch in Major League Baseball history took place a few weeks later. So, Ramonio first pitch. And please welcome the President of the United States.

16:04Thank you, Mr. President. That was before Game 3 of the 2001 World Series between Arizona and New York. Games 1 and 2 were played in Arizona. That was the first game at Yankee Stadium. Now, four months later, four months after 9-11, about three months after that, I was in New York. I was coaching with the Met at the time, and we were there for organizational meetings

17:07in January. A couple months after those meetings, I wrote an article. And I want to read the opening two paragraphs of that article. Here's the first paragraph. In January, I spent a few days in New York City attending some meetings with the Met's. While I was there, I had a couple of moving and sobering experiences. The first came early one morning when two ranking police officers from the NYPD spoke to our group. One of the men was at ground zero during virtually the entire morning of September 11th. As he spoke about what he went through and what was happening that morning, the events of that day took on even more profound meaning. After the officer finished speaking, we watched video footage from that morning, complete with vivid sights and sounds, most of which had not been aired on television. The video concluded by showing still pictures of all the members of the NYPD who lost their

18:11wives on that infamous day. Most were men from their mid-20s to early 40s. No doubt many were husbands and fathers, and they left widows and fatherless children behind. When the video was over, there was a room full of men who had their heads lowered and were wiping away tears from their eyes. That's the first paragraph. I was one of those men. Steve Phillips, the general manager of the New York Met's at the time, was one of those men. Bobby Valentine, the manager, was one of those men, as was his entire coaching staff, as were all of us who were involved in player development and there for those meetings. Here's the second paragraph. A couple days later, I traveled on the subway from Flushing to Manhattan, and along with two other men, I went to Ground Zero. Because of our ties with the Met's, the police officers there allowed us to access a couple

19:14of platforms overlooking the area. Let me stop here by giving you information I did not give in the article. One of those men that I went down to Ground Zero with was Joey Korra. He would manage the King's Port Matts that year. I was his pitching coach. And it was Joey who went to the police officers and asked if we would be allowed into this area, the area that now has the memorial. And they allowed us to do so. Let me pick back up with the article. While four months had passed and a tremendous amount of cleanup work had been accomplished, the site was still one of death and destruction. The memorial scattered around the area, the mass of rubbish, the partially burned and tattered buildings, and the quote unquote darkness, even with all the lights for the workers, were chilling reminders of 9-11. An article was titled Creator or Creature.

20:15That is with a question mark. And it was about God's sovereignty and his providence. Here are the closing words of that article. A deepened understanding and appreciation for the sovereignty of God will allow us to trust and obey God more fully each day. He is Lord. As Christians reflecting on 9-11 or even as we reflect on the apparently least significant happening in our lives, we need to understand and appreciate the sovereignty of God and in doing so to trust and obey Him more faithfully and joyfully. We also need to understand the battle that is raging against the one true God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

21:15Virgil Walker, who is one of the two hosts of a great podcast, just thinking, his partner is Darryl Harrison, posted a video on X of one of the planes hitting one of the World Trade Center towers. And then he wrote these words quote, This is the face of political Islam. Islam is a political movement dressed up in religious clothing. Some lean into the religion until those with more political aims arrive on the scene. Never forget. End of quote. Never forget. The final words of that post from Pastor Walker. The final words in the documentary when America took the field. And I have seen over the last several days, the hashtag never forget again and again and again. We must never forget what happened on 9-11.

22:18We must never forget why it happened. We must never forget the truth about Islam. One of the things that took place as we understand 9-11 is that Americans were slow to understand this is a theological argument. This is a theological argument based in Islam. And one of the things we see right now is that there is a continuing confusion over that matter. Back behind all of this is the fact that Islam, classic Islam, orthodox Islam, worldwide Islam divides the world into two different spheres. One of them is the world of Islam. And that means under subjection to the Quran, that is where Islam has absolute supremacy. That is one part of the world. The other part of the world is the world of war, the world of struggle, the world that Muslims have to bring into submission in order to complete their assignment to bring the entire world under subjection to the doctrines of Islam.

23:19And you look at that and you say, well, we have to be careful about speaking about such issues. We have to be careful. But this is where Americans largely failed the test. American leaders failed the test, I would say, in 2001. And I think they continue to fail the test. And I credited President George W. Bush with giving remarkable leadership to the nation and the aftermath of the 9-11 attacks. But I want to be very clear. I think there was one huge error that President Bush made and he continues to make the same error. He continues to say the same thing. So as you go back to 2001, just days after the Islamic terrorist attack that it costs the lives of so many thousands of Americans and changed American history, he went on to insist that Islam is a religion of peace. That's virtually a direct quotation. But that fails to account for the fact that Islam has a theological structure that once again calls for the world to be brought under subjection and submission to Islam, which divides the world between the world of Islam and the world of war where subjection is

24:22to be brought about. We come to understand that Osama bin Laden did not come up with this. Osama bin Laden yes, held to a very radical vision of Islam, but he can make the argument, this is the classical radical vision of Islam. And furthermore, looking at the world picture, the vast majority of Muslims are almost eager to say, yes, they agree that there is a necessity of Muslims, faithful Muslims, to bring the world under subjection. Some will remember that at the time there was much conversation about the category of holy war and its function within Islam, Americans came to understand that that is absolutely tied to the terror attacks of 9-11. And one of the things I regret and I regret that I have to say is that 25 years after 9-11 2001, there are still many people who are in denial. And I think a part of this is because they don't want to say, oh, Muslims are responsible for this. That is clearly a true statement. But that's very different than saying, Islam is a religion of peace.

25:22Al Mollar devoted the entirety of the briefing on Friday to 9-11, understandably so. That is a portion of what he said. We must never forget that while two planes hit the World Trade Center towers and a third the Pentagon, there was a fourth plane and it was headed toward the United States capital. But it never got there and never hit its intended target. It crashed in an empty field in Pennsylvania. It was United Flight 93. I'm going to read the transcript of a 9-11 call from United Flight 93. Todd, hello operator, listen to me. I can't speak very loud. This is an emergency. I'm a passenger on a United Flight to San Francisco. Our plane has been hijacked. Lisa, I understand.

26:23Can they see you? Todd, no. There are three that we know of. They have knives, razor knives like box cutters. Someone announced from the cockpit, there was a bomb. It sounded fake. Lisa, your name? Todd. Todd Beamer, United Flight 93. Todd, they killed one passenger in first class. They forced most of us back. Fourteen of us here, five flight attendants. The guy with the bomb ordered us to sit on the floor. Lisa, are you okay? Todd, we're going down. Wait, no, we're leveling off. We changed directions. We're flying east again. Todd, a guy named Jeremy called his wife. She told him two planes hit the World Trade Center. Lisa, is that true? Lisa, I have to tell you the truth.

27:24It's very bad. Both towers are gone. A third plane hit the Pentagon. Our country is under attack. I'm afraid your plane may be part of their plan. Todd, oh God. Lisa, will you do something for me? Call my wife and kids. Promise me you'll call. Lisa, I promise. Todd, our number is. But of the same name as my wife, Lisa, we've been married ten years. She's pregnant with our third child. Tell her I love her. I always love her. We have two boys, David, he's three, and Andrew, he's one. Tell them their daddy loves them, and he is so proud of them. The baby is due January 12th. I saw an ultrasound. We still don't know if it's a boy or a girl. Lisa, I'll tell them. I promise, Todd. At this point, she patches in the FBI.

28:25Agent, Todd, your plane is on a course for Washington. Best guess is the White House or the Capitol. Todd, I understand. I'll be back. Todd, everyone knows this isn't a normal hijacking. We have decided we will not be pawns in their plot. Lisa, what are you going to do? Todd, four of us are going to rush with, rush, excuse me, the one with the bomb, then the cockpit. A stewardess is getting boiling water. We'll take them out. Todd, would you pray with me? And then Todd and Lisa pray the Lord's Prayer. Todd, yay, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for thou art with me. Todd, God helped me. Jesus helped me. Are you guys ready? Let's roll.

29:27I have to apologize for struggling through that, but I think you understand why. About a year ago, I preached a sermon. And in it, I mentioned the many, quote unquote, isms that are fighting against Christ and his people. And then I said that I believe Muhammadism is happily allowing other isms to do the work of attacking and weakening the bride of Christ. And sadly, too many in the church are allowing this to happen. And I said that they will strike to bring about the world of war to the church of Jesus Christ with the intent that it and we will be brought into submission. But those who faithfully follow King Jesus know he has conquered. He is conquering and he will conquer already not yet.

30:31Or in other words, as so many baseball players have declared on a t-shirt that they often wear, Jesus won. He is the conquering king. We who follow him are his servants. The warfare is real. Spiritual yes, not against flesh and blood, yes, but real. Though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. We do not fight with carnal weapons. But we are engaged in true warfare, nonetheless. We are aware that demands we put on the whole armor of God. Warfare that demands we take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ as we are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God. Never forget, God help us. Jesus help us.

31:32Are you ready? Let's roll. That's a conversation for another day. Join us next time for In the Bullpen on the Fight Laugh Feast Network. Thank you for listening.