2 minute read
Athletes for Christ............................................................Pages
from His Grace Magazine
by His Grace
Mookie Wilson
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Mookie Wilson
with the New York Mets from 1980-1989
William Hayward "Mookie" Wilson was born on Feb. 9, 1956, in Bamberg, South Carolina. He was a Major League Baseball Outfielder and coach. Mookie is also remembered for the 1986 World Series. When he was up to bat, he lasted for a total of 10 pitches. The Boston Red Sox were one strike away from ending their World Series Jinx, and winning the 1986 World Series, in the bottom of the tenth inning of game six. Mookie kept fouling off pitch after pitch, but on the tenth pitch he hit a slow grounder towards first base line to Bill Buckner. He was playing well behind first base waiting and ready to field the ball when it came to him. The speedy Mookie might have beaten the throw to first base, but the ball went under Bill Buckner's glove. That play allowed Knight to score the winning run and it forced a game seven. Mookie's at bat was a tense one, but also very exciting and probably one of the most exciting World Series games ever. The New York Mets went on to beat the Boston Red Sox in game seven in Boston, to be crowned 1986 World Series Champions.
For most of Mookie's career, he was a fan favorite, for when he was up to bat, the crowd greeted him with the chant of Mooooookie! Mookie was a great base runner as well. He had 58 stolen bases in 1982 and 54 bases in 1983. Mookie hit .276 three years in a row from 1985 to 1988. After he hit .248 in his first call up, he hit between .271 and .299 from 1981 through the 1988 season.
Mookie's speed really helped him outrun mistakes on the field as he led the National League outfielders with six double plays in 1984. During the 1985 season, he had surgery on his throwing arm that reduced his playing time and weakened his arm; Mookie was reduced to a platoon player that season.
As a senior player of the team in the latter part of the 1980s, Mookie was an important presence in the clubhouse, especially during the Mets non contender years. He set an example for the younger players. Mookie was an unselfish leader of the Mets until he was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays in the second half of the 1989 season. With Mookie's hitting and speed, he helped lift the Toronto Blue Jays to the 1989 Division Title, and Mookie just happened to be the one who scored the run that helped
the Blue Jays clinch first place.
Mookie Married Rosa Gilbert on June 22, 1978. He also earned a bachelor's degree in 1996 from the Mercy College in New York. Mookie and his wife have been living in Lakewood Township, New Jersey, where they both started an educational center for girls, called "Mookie's Roses," in 1986.
Mookie's faith is a core part of who he really is. He is a strong Christian man. As a young child, Mookie gave his life to the Lord Jesus Christ. He was raised in the church and his faith continued to grow all through his life.
In 2001, Mookie and his family released a gospel CD called, "Don't Worry, the Lord will Carry You Through."
Mookie also became an ordained Baptist minister in 2014.
