Fellowship Hall

Tony Fernandez has devoted his post-baseball life to serving the needy children of Latin America.

TONY FERNANDEZ

Called by God to serve the poor

By Ken Bosveld

A Major League Baseball star for 18 seasons, Tony Fernandez won four Gold Glove Awards and was selected five times as an All-Star.  Much of his career was spent playing shortstop for the Toronto Blue Jays, most notably when they won the 1993 World Series with Fernandez driving in nine runs during the series – a record for a shortstop.

A soft-spoken man who is very open about his faith, Tony also faced a number of hardships during his baseball career including being hit in the face by a pitch in 1989 and requiring reconstructive surgery, and twice breaking his elbow.

Born and raised in the Dominican Republic, Tony and his wife Clara now reside in Florida. They have four sons and one daughter, and their second-oldest son Jonathan, a shortstop, is a 2006 draft choice of the Toronto Blue Jays.

Through the Tony Fernandez Foundation, he is assisting orphans and poor children in Latin America, and has been using baseball camps as a way to build character among teenagers and tell them about Jesus Christ.

Before we chat about baseball Tony, can you talk a bit about what are you are currently doing?

The 'Number One' Blue Jay

I was born in the Dominican Republic into a family that didn’t have much money.  My dad was a co-pastor, and we grew up as believers.  Many things are still fresh in my mind from when I was a kid, and I believe God allowed things to happen in my life so I can go back and effect in a positive way the lives of the needy children.

Through the (Tony Fernandez) Foundation we are building orphanages, first in Honduras and then in the Dominican Republic, and donating them to the Assemblies of God.

Right now we are upgrading the Paradise Camp (a Christian retreat and baseball camp), and then maybe next year, the Lord willing, we will hold summer baseball tournaments between teams of boys representing Canada, the U.S., the Dominican Republic, and other countries.

The funds we raise would then help build ‘The City of Hope D.R.’ which is a place for orphans and needy children in our country.  We are going to create a place where these children will feel this is my home and it was created with me in mind, and so we can help them learn to take care of themselves and be self-sufficient because that will build their self-esteem. If they grow up without identity, they will have problems down the road.

I have also finished two years in ministry school in English, and I am going back to study for a year in Spanish.

How and when did you develop a vision of what you would be doing after your baseball career?

The objective of the Tony Fernandez Foundation is to assist the poor and orphaned children of the Dominican Republic and other Latin American nations.

Even if you talk to some of my ex-team-mates, they would say that God only used baseball to prepare Tony, but baseball was not his main focus. I loved to play the game, but I didn’t see myself just as a person born to play baseball. God allowed things to happen in my life so that I could go back and effect in a positive way the lives of the children around me.

I believe God gives every human being a vision of the purpose that God has for their life. Many people say “Wait a minute, I am not at peace; something is not right – what’s going on?”  But I believe you will not be at peace until you fulfill the purpose for which you were created – that is the problem many of us have.

God has shown me my purpose, and if I don’t do it God will hold me accountable one day. God will say “Hey, you know I gave you the vision, I gave you those talents, and I gave you the platform, so you can help those in need.  What did you do with it?  That was your part in My world vision.”

God also likes to share, and we must learn how to share with others so they can fulfill their dreams.  Many people – many of the children in need  – will take their dreams to the grave unless someone like us comes alongside them and helps them find their purpose in life.

Tony (back row) with a group of children in the Dominican Republic.

You weren’t always as confident and comfortable speaking in public as you are today.

In my case I was very passive. I was very calm and laid-back. I even walked that way. In the minor leagues, one of my ex-teammates used to say that he never saw a young man that looked old as I did.

God knew that if He didn’t use baseball as a platform, it was going to be very difficult to take me to the next level. I was a very shy kid, very introspective and I didn’t talk much, but He used baseball to boost my confidence level.

You were blessed to be a member of the Blue Jays during a time when there were quite a number of Christians on the team, and you grew into being one of the leaders.  How did that process unfold?

Yes, that was a real blessing for me, to have Christian teammates like Jesse Barfield, Roy Lee Jackson, Lloyd Moseby, Kelly Gruber, Ron Shepherd, Willie Upshaw and others. The main core was Jesse, Lloyd and Roy Lee. Those three guys carried me. When they left, I felt like I was left alone and could not understand what was happening until later on.

When Roy Lee was let go, I was hurt – and he said “do not be afraid, God will be with you.” And then Jesse was taken. And then Lloyd was taken, and I asked “now what?” --- it was like one after the other was taken, and I was angry with God.

But now, these many years later, I am able to see that those days and those situations were designed by God to develop me and to develop others. It was time for the baby Christian to mature. If God had left those three guys there with me, I would never have reached the spiritual maturity I needed.

Tony Fernandez

Are there any instances during your baseball career when you especially felt God’s presence?

In 1989, when I was hit in the face by a pitch, people thought my career was over, but I knew nothing would be able to stop me until God said to me “It is over – it is time to move on.”

I remember the first time I broke my elbow. I was coming off the field, and I was saying to myself “God do not leave me alone, do not leave me at this moment”, and the word came to my mind very clearly in my spirit “I will never leave you and I have never forsaken you” (Hebrews 13:5).

When I walked out of there, I was strengthened by those words and I knew He was with me no matter what happened.

At the time you do not understand why you are going through certain things like hardship and adversity, but God uses these things to move you forward. Adversity is opportunity in disguise. God is using adversity to take you to the next level, and exposing the things in your life that need to be worked out. Even in hard moments, God is using his mercy to take us where we should be.

When I would focus on the scriptures, when I would fix my eyes on Jesus, my career was able to move forward. But when I took my eyes off Jesus, just as Peter did when he was walking on the water, then I began to sink.

Many Canadians have only seen the Dominican Republic on their way to and from the resort hotels. What is the ‘other’ Dominican Republic like, and what can we do for your nation?

That is not the real Dominican. You are seeing the good side of it. When I visit some of those resorts, I don’t feel like I am in the Dominican Republic.

Everyone is entitled to rest and time away from work, but try to also see the other side of the coin.  The need is to the west along the border with Haiti, and in the interior of country on the other side of the mountains.  Our country was devastated in 1998 by Hurricane George, and help never got to many parts of the Dominican.

The best way to help is to tap into the organizations that are working there, to help people help themselves and become self-sufficient. There are many immediate needs, but I believe the best thing is to work toward long-term solutions.

For instance, at the City of Hope D.R., we are going to build a place for orphans, but we also need something like chicken farming so the kids will learn to take care of themselves. They are going to be educated, and taught how to be self-sufficient, so they can actually help their community.

Unfortunately, for many years, the Dominican church was not stepping forward – it was taking a back seat and waiting for foreigners to come in and do the work. But the indigenous church has to take over. I believe we have to use the concept Jesus taught his disciples of showing people how to do the job, and then teaching them to take responsibility for doing the work. This way the local church will multiply itself.

Education is also one of the best ways to attack the need over the long-term because it equips people to provide for themselves. You don’t want to create dependency.  God doesn’t expect us to take care of the whole world, but He does expect us to each do our part.

What would you ask us to pray for?

Please pray to God that we will never lose our passion for the lost and our passion for those in need. We must always have passion for the needy children and for the lost souls in the world.

Without that passion, it is too easy for us to see needy, hungry children and say it is not my responsibility. We must never lose sight of our calling to seek the suffering and the lost for the Kingdom of God.

To enquire about having Tony Fernandez or one of many other Christian athletes speak to your church or youth group, please contact Paul Cartwright, Celebrity Sports Marketing at 905-873-8405 or e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .