Blake Bivens, Rays minor leaguer, opens up about tragedy, says he learned of family's murder on Facebook

Bivens' wife, son, and mother-in-law were killed last August

Tampa Bay Rays Double-A pitcher Blake Bivens dealt with an unimaginable tragedy when his family was killed in a triple murder last August. Bivens, who has not spoken much publicly about the killings or details surrounding them, recently revealed that he found out about the horrifying news on Facebook, according to ESPN.

Bivens' wife, son, and mother-in-law were killed in his Virginia home. His brother-in-law has since been charged with three counts of first-degree homicide for the killings. The pitcher had an opportunity to share his story during Sunday's service at The River Church in Danville, Va., which was streamed on Facebook due to the coronavirus pandemic.

"First headline I see is two females and a small child were gone," Bivens recalled. "I immediately knew that was them. I found out my family was gone over a Facebook headline. I just immediately began to scream in the middle of the airport."

Bivens, who was playing for the Montgomery Biscuits at the time, was told to come home following the murders, but he didn't know the news when he landed at the airport. That's when Bivens checked his phone for more information and learned the earth-shattering news: Matthew Thomas Bernard, 19, had allegedly murdered his 62-year old mother Joan Bernard, 25-year old sister Emily Bivens and 14-month old nephew Cullen Bivens.

"I think the hardest moment for me was when I got home and I walked in my son's bedroom for the first time and realized I was never going to see him on this Earth again," Bivens said. "That was the worst moment in my life. Nothing ever will come to being, to feeling the way I felt at that moment. Then again, I know I will see him again one day, and it won't be long."

Bivens said he has turned to his religion and his faith to cope with the loss of his family. Specifically, he said Bible verse John 16:33 has helped him:

"And when I read, 'Take heart, for I have overcome the world,' it changed, it completely flipped a switch in my heart. And from that moment on I knew that this was not going to beat me, this was not going to beat family. I was going to live in victory the rest of my life, and I was going to use this as a testimony to show what he has done for me he can also do for others. That moment for me was one of the biggest moments where I just knew God was with me, and the only thing I knew to do was just laugh in the enemy's face, because he thought he had won. But all he's done is awoken a sleeping giant and as long as I'm here on this earth, every day I wake up my goal is to pile-drive him right in the face every morning when I get up."

Bivens has attempted to return to a normal life following the tragic losses. Prior to the coronavirus outbreak, the Rays prospect was pitching in Australia and preparing for spring training. He was a fourth-round pick of the Rays in the 2014 MLB Draft. The 24-year old right-handed pitcher had compiled a 4-0 record to go along with a 3.95 ERA for the Double A Biscuits during the 2019 season prior to leaving the team.