Christian sports star Tim Tebow, who is currently a New York Mets outfielder, was hit by a pitch from lefty Chandler Hawkins on Thursday during Tebow's third at bat. The pitch undoubtedly hurt, and Tebow was surprised by it.
When that happened, The Babylon Bee reports that Tebow immediately threw down his bat and charged towards the pitcher's mound. Hawkins was surprised by Tebow's sudden approach, so he dropped his glove and raised his fists. But instead of giving Hawkins a huge punch, like what some spectators were expecting, Tebow gave Hawkins an unexpected bear hug.
"I ran out there because I knew he probably felt bad about plunking me, and I wanted to pursue immediate reconciliation," Tebow says of the hug. "The Bible teaches that if your brother has something against you, drop everything and go restore the relationship. I needed to reach out to Chandler right away and forgive him for drilling me in the rib cage with that fastball."
Tebow, who stands at 6'3" and weighs 255 pounds, held out his arms as he ran towards Hawkins. The pitcher admitted that he was confused by the gesture, but was nonetheless relieved Tebow wasn't upset because of the mistake he made.
Tebow, who used to play for the NFL, was quick to assure Hawkins that the unexpected hit was water under the bridge. "I told him it was OK, everyone makes mistakes, and his defensiveness just melted away," shares Tebow. "The Bible says to go to your brother and settle your grievances one-on-one, but if that fails, to bring two or three brothers with you the next time. I guess that's why a lot of my teammates came running out of the dugout. They wanted to make sure we followed the biblical model of reconciliation. I love these guys."
