Correspondent photo / John Patrick Gatta Former major league pitcher Dave Dravecky shows the audience his baseball card, during his appearance Wednesday evening in the Ford Family Recital Hall at the DeYor Performing Arts Center, which features a photo of his Aug. 10, 1989, comeback appearance after battling cancer. He went on to win that game, but only pitched six innings in the following game due to his weakened state and the disease’s return.

YOUNGSTOWN — Former major league pitcher Dave Dravecky may live in Arizona, but based on his enthusiastic, memory-filled appearance Wednesday evening in the Ford Family Recital Hall at the DeYor Performing Arts Center, his heart remains in the Mahoning Valley.

He attended a VIP event, spoke for nearly 75 minutes, then announced to the crowd that he’d be out in the lobby to “continue the conversation.” Overall, he interacted with family, friends and fans for more than three hours.

After a brief film chronicled his major league career and its sudden end, he walked onto the recital hall stage.

“Oh boy! I am wiped out. It was so wonderful greeting everybody, but I didn’t realize at my age that I could get so exhausted,” Dravecky said. “It has been amazing to see so many familiar faces and to bring back some of the most incredible memories in my life being raised here.”

Referencing his wife, Jan, he said, “We are really grateful to be here to share our story with our community, our home, where we were born and raised. When I think about that, I think of all the wonderful memories related to growing up here as a kid.”

As part of the Mahoning County Bar Association Foundation’s Speaker Series, Dravecky’s journey about his life in the area, playing baseball, battling cancer, reinventing himself as a motivational speaker and his unwavering faith unfolded like the chapters in a book with laughs, drama, tragedy and reinvention.

A standout pitcher at Youngstown State University, the Boardman native was drafted in the 21st round by the Pittsburgh Pirates. Traded, he worked his way from the minor league to the major league, representing the San Diego Padres in the 1983 All-Star Game and appearing in multiple situations with the team in the 1984 World Series. Traded again, this time to the San Francisco Giants, his career continued to prosper until a lump in his left pitching arm turned out to be cancer.

Despite treatment that resulted in losing 50% of his deltoid muscle, he won his Aug. 10, 1989, comeback appearance on the mound.

The next game in Montreal, Dravecky’s arm broke in the sixth inning when he threw the ball.

Later, with the recurrence of cancer, his left arm and shoulder were amputated. Fully retired from baseball, he became a motivational speaker, author, community ambassador for the Giants and co-founded with Jan, Endurance, a nonprofit ministry that helps others through adversity.

Early on, he asked Youngstown State University baseball players and head baseball coach, Trevor Charpie, who were in attendance, to stand up. He addressed the audience to help them financially so that they get the same opportunity to thrive as he once did.

Later, Dravecky held up his baseball card that featured a photo of his return to the mound in 1989. The memory brought up advice he wanted to instill for the YSU players.

“Never forget the value of your teammates and the friendships that you develop. It’s that bond that makes you go out there and play for something bigger than yourself. Never forget that.

He added, “I realized that I wasn’t just playing for Dave that day. And we ended up winning 4 to 3. I went eight innings and threw 93 pitches.”

Throughout his speech, Dravecky seamlessly weaved the importance of the Bible in his life and the lessons revealed to him by God during those memorable and life-changing moments. What made it impactful was his openness to being a fallible human being who made mistakes, suffered from depression after his baseball career suddenly ended and used the wisdom gained from scripture to help himself, Jan and others.

Discussing the baseball card also allowed him another opportunity to discuss his faith.

“On August 10, 1989, I was standing on the mound, getting ready to pitch again for the San Francisco Giants, when the doctor said, ‘Outside of a miracle, you’ll never pitch again.’ This is the actual photo of that game. So, this card reminds me of God’s faithfulness in my story because I was able to make a comeback when nobody thought I would. The miracle was in the help of all the people around me, all the people that God put in our lives, including our family, to be there to support and encourage us.”

He continued, “If there’s any lesson you learn from tonight, it’s realizing we can’t do this life alone. We need each other…more than we even know. And all too often, we fail to see the power and the beauty of God’s love for us by bringing people into our lives just at the right time. And those people were there for me.”

He gave credit to Jan and the doctors, nurses, trainers and therapists who helped him make that comeback.

Dravecky ended his time on the stage by noting his desire to return to the area. While that will definitely happen with his induction on May 2, 2027, into the Curbstone Coaches Hall of Fame, it was apparent that he hopes to visit before receiving that honor.

“It just feels so good to be back here.”

Recalling his time growing up in the Mahoning Valley, he said, “It felt so good to remember those days because those days because those days are all part of me being here before you. But here’s the beauty, it doesn’t stop there, because in the present, we’re still learning. None of us have arrived. And we can look forward to the future, hopefully with hope.”