A Bronx man is celebrating 25 years of coaching a sport he fell in love with when he moved to the United State at age 13.

Andres Cruz says he nearly died of cancer after playing baseball for 35 years and prayed for strength in hopes of dedicating his life to coaching. He recovered and began running a team called Estrellas de Cinquenta, or the Stars of Fifty.

The team is now preparing to travel to Puerto Rico and compete for a 25th straight year.