Former Major League Baseball pitcher and motivational speaker Brian Holman will speak at the performing arts center at 10:30 a.m. Sunday in Marion as part of the Chingawassa Days worship service sponsored by Marion Ministerial Alliance.

“He was one out away from throwing a perfect game,” Marion Christian Church pastor Carl Helm said. “He starts out his talks by showing a video of the ninth inning of that game. He’s just a really, really good motivational speaker.”

Holman knows the pain of personal loss. He and his family have overcome great adversity. He uses his life experiences to encourage and inspire a host of audiences.

He pitched for the Montreal Expos, Seattle Mariners, and the Cincinnati Reds before he was forced to retire because of an arm injury.

He is involved with a number of non-profit and philanthropic organizations and currently serves on the board of directors of Esperanza International.

He also participates in and supports the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Young Life, Pro Athletes Outreach, Children’s Hospital, The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and the National Christian Foundation.

Holman is also a member of the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association and works as a special assistant to the general manger for the Wichita Wingnuts Professional Baseball Club.

In 2007, Holman was inducted into the Kansas Baseball Hall of Fame.