Before every relief appearance for the Philadelphia Phillies, J.C. Romero finishes his warm-up pitches and then takes his hat off, turns his back to home plate and steps to the back of the mound, saying a quick prayer to God to help him do the best he can.

The same goes for Brad Lidge. The Phillies’ closer didn’t blow a save opportunity the entire regular season and stayed perfect during Philadelphia’s impressive run to the World Series title, but he knows the credit doesn’t belong to him. He says a quick prayer before he trots to the mound in a pressure-packed, ninth-inning appearance, and he gives Jesus Christ the glory in his postgame interviews.

And it’s not just the relievers. A number of Phillies have been outspoken about their faith, perhaps most evident during the FCA-sponsored “Day with the Phillies” before a home game against the Dodgers in late August.

About 650 people attended the event in a tent outside Citizens Bank Park, where Romero, Lidge, Ryan Howard, Shane Victorino and Chris Coste all spoke about their faith and FCA, how they give God glory on the athletic field, and how some trials have brought them closer as a team.

“We have our Bible studies and our Sunday chapels, but it goes a lot deeper than that,” Coste said during the event. “We may not be brothers by blood, but we spend so much time with each other, so having other Christian brothers on the team makes it a lot better … Sure, you have your friends in life, but the relationship we have in the clubhouse goes so much deeper than just simple friends. We are actually brothers.”

Terry Hill, FCA area director in Philadelphia, said Romero has become the team’s spiritual leader in just his first full season with the club. Team chaplain Rich Sparling leads a Bible study for the players every Friday night before games, and Romero – who grew up the son of a preacher in Puerto Rico – has been very active in getting his teammates involved.

J.C. Romero

“(Romero) is just on fire for the Lord,” Hill said. “He’s just solid as a rock. He doesn’t lead the studies (because Sparling does), but he could. You could stand him up at a pulpit, and he’d give you a 45-minute sermon just like that.”

During the event, each player took the stage one-by-one, where Sparling asked them questions on a variety of topics. Howard shared about how he handles both accolades and boos. Lidge talked about living out his faith on the field and in life. Victorino spoke about the poem “Footprints in the Sand,” and how he has turned to that lesson throughout his life.

“A lot of times people only turn to God when we’re struggling,” Victorino said during the event. “But when we’re going good, it seems like we’re just riding the wave, and you don’t really pray – you forget about things. I know I do that. It becomes all about us, but you know what? Ultimately it’s about Him.”

Photos courtesy of Kristin Humphrey.