A moment that broke his focus

David Eckstein, a 5-foot-6 shortstop known for his meticulous routine, locked eyes with a beautiful woman in the stands during a game and was furious at himself for losing concentration.

“Get focused on the game, I barked at myself, disappointed that I would ever let something break my concentration.”

A setup he didn't want

The Angels' VP of Communications pitched Eckstein on going to a movie premiere with an actress. Eckstein was skeptical but his boss insisted he call.

The golden birthday condition

Eckstein refused to go to the premiere without meeting her first. The only day they both had free was September 22nd, which happened to be Ashley Drane's 22nd birthday and her golden birthday.

A fourth grade prophecy

Ashley's teacher told her class that something special would happen on a golden birthday. She'd been waiting since age 10 for her golden birthday at 22.

“Something special will happen on your golden birthday. Like when you turn 10 on the 10th.”

He brought a gift

David researched Ashley beforehand and discovered it was her birthday, so he brought a gift. He drove an old clunker with 150,000 miles on it.

Her car told him everything

Ashley pulled up in an old Toyota Corolla with a missing door handle and duct tape. David knew immediately she was real and the kind of girl he could see himself with.

“OK, she's real. That's the type of girl that I could see myself with.”

The girl in the stands

A couple months into dating, Ashley revealed she was the woman who broke David's concentration in the dugout. She'd been wearing his jersey number, 22.

Setting the tone early

David told Ashley from the start they had to be a team. What he did reflected on her and what she did reflected on him, so they needed to think of each other in every action.

“We're a team and he said what I do is a reflection of you and what you do is a reflection of me.”

The baseball season test

David didn't propose until Ashley sat through an entire baseball season with him. He needed her to understand how locked in he became during the season.

“You need to sit through a baseball season with me because I'm a different person.”

Romance looks different

Ashley learned that real romance isn't what movies show. It's getting up to make coffee on a busy day, doing dishes, and showing up even when things don't look pretty.

“Sometimes romance is just show, continuing to show up for someone, even when it just doesn't look pretty.”

The Toronto season broke them

In 2008, David played for the Toronto Blue Jays during a difficult season. Both hit rock bottom and sat in church in desperation, surrendering everything to God.

She walked away from acting

Ashley moved to Toronto to support David and her agents and managers dropped her immediately. One told her, 'If you're not making money, you're no good to us.'

“If you're not auditioning, you're not making money. And if you're not making money, you're no good to us.”

He walked away from baseball

After 10 years, David had more contract offers than ever but retired to support Ashley's new company, Her Universe. He turned down offers even during and after the 2011 season.

Star Wars changed everything

Around the time David retired, Ashley landed her role as Ahsoka Tano in Star Wars. She called it the biggest blessing after sacrificing her acting career.

His and hers books released

David and Ashley released matching books on September 8th. David's memoir is called Just Enough, and Ashley's romance novel inspired by their true story is called Lucky 22.

A Hallmark movie in print

Ashley pitched the idea of his-and-hers books to their publisher because everyone always says their love story should be a Hallmark movie. Her book is 90 percent true.

“That needs to be a Hallmark movie.”

Seeing each other's perspective

Reading Ashley's book helped David understand how regimented he was and how lonely she felt in Hollywood. It brought him to tears and made him reflect on who he was.

The greatest underdog story

Ashley calls David's memoir the greatest underdog story never told. It's not really about baseball but about family, faith, perseverance, and never giving up.

“You don't need to know anything about baseball to be inspired by Just Enough.”

Making history as a couple

David and Ashley may have made history as the first husband and wife to release books on the same day.

“I don't think there's been another husband and wife that have dropped a book on the same day.”