Stay in the Game

Over the course of many baseball summers, I was one of the parents cheering from the stands as our team played. The games displayed the exuberant talent that comes from teen boys doing what they love. They played to win, but even when they weren't winning, they vowed to stay in the game.

While some games were all about the hits, others were about pitching. Those games featured young pitchers and how intimidating their pitches could be. 


I loved watching Kevin pitch. He’d stare with utter seriousness as he evaluated each batter coming to the plate. He had a fast ball that could come right in for a strike. He also had a sinker that the batter would take a huge swing at and then miss. Batters walked back to the dugout probably wondering what had just happened.



I’ve been thinking a lot about Kevin this week. He’s long past those baseball years, and after high school graduation, I kind of lost track of him. He served in the Navy, then developed building skills and was working towards an electrical apprenticeship. According to those close to him, he’d recently been struggling emotionally. Last week, he took a bike ride and then disappeared. In our remote area, it's fairly easy to disappear. 


Kevin Richter photo from Facebook 


The many friends out searching for him know that Kevin just wasn’t himself. A mental health crisis is something that can zero in on someone, just like one Kevin’s baseball strikes. It can happen to any of us. It just happened to be Kevin this time. As the searchers continue to look for him, I’m praying that the Kevin, who boldly faced tough batters, will come back. His family and friends desperately want to help him.


We give a lot of grace to those with physical ailments, this reminds me how important it is to give just as much grace to those struggling with mental illness. There’s healing and hope—we just need to encourage them to stay in the game.



Anyone with information as to Kevin Richter’s whereabouts is asked to call the Clallam County Sheriff’s dispatchers at 360-417-2459.


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