One Line Drive

A Life-Threatening Injury and a Faith-Fueled Comeback

By: Daniel Ponce de Leon, Tom Zenner

Narrated by: Daniel Ponce de Leon, Edward Thomas

Daniel Ponce de Leon's hard-fought journey to Major League Baseball and recovery from a near-death injury, followed by his astonishing big league debut, will inspire readers to trust God in all circumstances.
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​The path you take to achieving your dreams is not always easy. Daniel Ponce de Leon, an acclaimed pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals, overcame many challenges to get to the Major Leagues. Drafted four times, he spent a long four years climbing his way up through the minors before finally reaching AAA, only one step away from the Major Leagues. Then, Daniel's dream was almost shattered when he was struck in the head by a line drive. Spending weeks in the hospital and months recovering from a large epidural hematoma, skull fracture, brain swelling, and hemorrhaging, Daniel held on to his belief that he would one day realize his dream.

Fourteen months later, and fully recovered, he made his first Major League start, becoming the fifth pitcher in modern Major League history to throw seven innings of no-hit ball in his first outing. MLB.com referred to it as one of the greatest debuts in Major League Baseball history.

In One Line Drive, Daniel retells his remarkable journey, sharing how he never would have made it without his faith in God and the support of family and friends. Full of grit, determination, and faith, Daniel's story is an inspiring reminder to keep pressing on regardless of any setback or disappointment.

Faith and Determination

What an awe-inspiring and thoroughly wonderful read. I purchased the hardcover book but had heard such favorable things about it that I wanted to start it right away, so I listened to it on Amazon’s Audible app. With the intention of listening to a few chapters at a time, I found the book so interesting that I listened to it in one evening.  The author tells his incredibly inspiring story of his journey from a young athlete to a miracle survivor of a near-fatal injury on the ball field.  His determination and dedication to baseball and to achieving his dreams is underscored by his faith in God, which is kept at the forefront of his vision. This book is a motivating story of survival and triumph in the face of a near setback, and is interwoven with the author’s insights of God’s plan and blessings in his life. 

Great story!

What an amazing & great story of Faith by Ponce! You will totally love hearing it.

Blessings?

This was a great story about one person’s success. But although he kept talking about “faith” it was not clear what he was saying. Faith that God exists for his personal benefit? The Bible gives us great direction about how we are to live helping the world but I never heard anything except faith and Bible reading got him where he wanted to be. He even indicated God helped his team win. I hope his continued Bible reading leads him to something much deeper and of global impact.