After finally healing from nagging injuries going into the 2015 season, Joe Wieland was planning on playing with the Los Angeles Dodgers throughout this past summer. While he was on the major-league roster for part of the season, including nearly all of September, he also spent time with the club’s AAA affiliate in Oklahoma City.

Flying back and forth — sometimes in the same day — from Los Angeles to Oklahoma City made for a challenging time. However, through the support of his family and fiancée, Wieland was able to make the most of his experiences by praying more and delving deeper into God’s written word.

Wieland discussed the adventurous times of this past season — along with his view of the World Series matchup between the New York Mets and Kansas City Royals, which kicked off Tuesday with a rousing 14-inning, 5-4 contest won by the Royals.

 

The Mets got past the Dodgers in their National League Division Series and then swept the Chicago Cubs in the National League Championship Series. Do you think they will now be able to beat the Kansas City Royals?

The Mets are on fire right now. They’ve played incredibly well the last two series, and I think they’ll do the same against the Royals. Daniel Murphy has been unbelievable, hitting six home runs in six games, and those were not off backup pitchers. They were off guys like Zack Greinke, Clayton Kershaw and Jake Arrieta, so you really can’t do any better than that.

The Royals were in the World Series last year and nearly won it, so that recent experience will probably help them play well. They’re familiar with the routine, and they’re probably determined to do well. However, in the end, I think the Mets have the edge. We’ll see, though.

 

You mentioned Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke, two of the best pitchers in the game. What did you learn from playing with them this past season?

I was matched up with Clayton for pitcher’s catching drills and bullpen time in spring training, so I learned a ton from him. It wasn’t that I asked a bunch of questions, but just being that close to him and working every day with him was so instructive. He’s so dedicated to what he does.

A lot of pitchers will do drills that are generally helpful, but aren’t necessarily geared toward throwing off the mound. Clayton is different in that way, because everything he does has pitching well as its goal. It’s not just random work. His constant repetition of specific, purposeful things was impressive.

This thorough work ethic is shared by Zack Greinke. He goes over upcoming hitters like no one else I’ve seen. Every pitcher looks over scouting reports and prepares for what the hitters they’ll face will likely do. Zack takes it to another level, though. He knows everything about every hitter he will go up against — whether the hitter is a 10-time All-Star or a guy just called up from AAA. Zack prepares so completely that I wouldn’t be surprised if could tell you what the hitters ate for breakfast.

 

What do you think of this past season overall?

It has been a mix of ups and downs. I had a really good start, but things went downhill for about two and a half months. I couldn’t find my command, and I struggled on the mound. I spent time with the AAA affiliate in Oklahoma City, and then things started going well and stayed on a fairly even keel for the rest of the season.

I had expected to be on the big-league roster all season, so it was tough going through the struggles. However, they helped me trust God more by putting my will aside and being patient, praying more sincerely and reading the Bible more thoroughly. That has helped me to see how this past season has been a good one overall.

 

You mentioned trusting God more this season. How has that happened, specifically?

We all start out with goals, and those are based on thinking we know what’s best for us. Then comes the reality check. We learn there’s much more to the picture than what we had thought. Inevitably, there will be these unexpected twists and turns in life, so the important thing is to accept them and learn from them, because getting frustrated over them only makes them worse.

This year I didn’t expect to struggle and be sent to AAA, but that’s what happened. I had to put aside my own ideas about the season and accept what was happening. That wasn’t easy at first, but my family and fiancée helped me to do it — to trust that God has a much greater plan for my life than I do, and that everything happens under his providential care.

It’s easy to go through the motions of religious practice and not really let God’s will for your life sink into you, but this season I’ve made a more consistent effort to be open to what God wants me to do. Now I pray more and “do the research” regarding God’s will in the Bible. I’m doing what the “Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened” verse in Matthew 7 says to do.

 

Do you find that being a believer is even more helpful to a professional athlete than to others with less visible or stressful jobs?

I can’t speak for other lines of work, but I can say that you can be pulled in all kinds of directions as a pro baseball player, so you have to know who you are. The best way to find this out is through your relationship with your Creator, which makes it possible not to go crazy amid countless distractions and challenges.

One example of how strange things can be is from earlier this season. I went to bed on Aug. 31 in Oklahoma City, expecting to pitch for the AAA team the next day. However, I woke up on Sept. 1 to a bunch of messages asking me to come to L.A. I took a flight there and spent two days with the team. I pitched well, and they told me to stay ready because I might be needed if a starter got injured. However, soon after that, they then sent me back to Oklahoma City. I flew out at 8 in the morning and got there about 1 in the afternoon. On the flight I got a message from the team asking me to come back to L.A. Once I got off the flight, I picked up my bags, got them re-checked and then four hours later was flying back to L.A.

That’s crazy, but it’s the kind of thing that can happen in pro sports. When you trust in God, though, you can see the humor in it and not get rattled. In 1 Thessalonians 5, we’re told to give thanks to the Lord in all things, and for me that meant even when flying back to the same city I had flown out of earlier that day.

Life can be confusing, and it might even seem like you’ll never reach your goals. However, former Dodgers’ manager Tommy Lasorda has a saying — “Because God delays does not mean God denies.” Maybe next time we talk, we’ll discuss a 2016 All-Star appearance, a healthy baby [after marriage] and a World Series victory. But if God wants something else to happen, that’s what will happen. It’s not up to us to judge God’s ways; it’s our duty to accept them. Only when that happens can we find true peace of mind.

 

Register correspondent Trent Beattie writes from Seattle.

He is the author of Fit for Heaven.