Former major league pitcher and Zondervan author Dave Dravecky was honored earlier this week by the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park in San Francisco during a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, marking the 20th anniversary of his comeback from cancer.

Dravecky threw the ceremonial first pitch Aug. 10, exactly 20 years after he won a game despite battling cancer in his throwing arm. Called "one of the most dramatic moments in sports history" by The New York Times, Dravecky's comeback ended five days later on Aug. 15, 1989, when his arm broke and eventually was amputated.

Dravecky is the author of several Christian books, including Called Up: Stories of Life and Faith From the Great Game of Baseball, Do Not Lose Heart: Meditations of Encouragement and Comfort, The Worth of a Man and Comeback (all Zondervan).

The author lives in Colorado, where he runs Dave Dravecky's Outreach of Hope, an organization devoted to encouraging cancer patients and amputees. He delivers more than 20 motivational speeches a year, telling the story of his comeback and subsequent setback, the Associated Press reported.

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