Born in the Philippines.
For that, the World Baseball Clinic has allowed American professional baseball player Tim Tebow to play for the Philippines in the World Baseball Classic qualifier next year.
“Grateful and excited to play for team Philippines in the WBC Baseball Classic… the country I was born in and somewhere that is near and dear to my heart!” Tebow said in his Twitter.
Tebow’s parents were Baptist missionaries in the Philippines when he was born in Makati. His mom fell into a coma while pregnant with Tim and had placental disruption. Despite the possibility of stillbirth, Tebow’s parents decided to go ahead with the pregnancy. That’s why the Philippines is very memorable for them.
WBC rules allow players to play for countries where they were born.
“You don’t get a lot of chances to represent people or places that mean something to you,” Tebow said, in an interview by Newsday. “It’s even more than baseball for me.”
Despite his fame then as a college football superstar, Tebow became an active missionary in the Philippines, spending at least three weeks in the Philippines annually for nearly 15 years in a row.
His Tebow Foundation helps orphans in the Philippines and built the CURE Hospital in Davao City that helps children with deformities such as cleft lip, clubfoot, hydrocephalus, and untreated burns.
From football, Tebow transitioned to baseball and joined the New York Mets as an outfielder.
The WBC will be held on March 9-23, 2021 in four venues: Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium in Taichung, Taiwan; Tokyo Dome in Tokyo; Japan, D-backs’ Chase Field in Phoenix; and Miami Marlins Park.
