When Don Kessinger got the call a few days ago that his grandson, Grae Kessinger, was being called up to the Major Leagues for the first time, he said he was as excited -- or maybe more excited -- than he was when he got that same call nearly 59 years ago. "We were out of town and coming back in town and just got a call from his dad, Kevin," Don Kessinger said Tuesday. "He had just gotten the call from Grae. That's how we got [the news], and it wasn't long until Grae gave us a call." Grae Kessinger arrived in Toronto on Monday afternoon and was on the Astros' active roster for the series opener against the Blue Jays, but he didn't play Monday or Tuesday. He will make his Major League debut Wednesday against the Blue Jays and start at third base, said manager Dusty Baker. Don Kessinger, 80, will be watching from his home in Mississippi and is already bursting with pride for a grandson to live out his dream. "I told him to play as hard as he can and have as much fun as he can and make the most of the moment, because it's something he's always wanted," he said. "You got a dream and now enjoy it. Don't worry. Just play. Play hard and have fun." |
Don Kessinger was a six-time All-Star and two-time Gold Glove Award winner for the Cubs as well as an All-American shortstop (1964) and head coach (1991-96) at Ole Miss, the same school Grae attended. Don was also a player-manager with the White Sox and a huge influence on Grae's career. In his 16-year career with the Cubs (1964-75), Cardinals (1976-77) and White Sox (1977-79), Kessinger amassed 1,931 hits -- 254 doubles, 80 triples and 14 homers. He was known for his glove and played on the same infield as Hall of Famers Ernie Banks and Ron Santo. He has fond memories of playing in the Astrodome, including the 1968 All-Star Game, which he started at shortstop for the National League. "When I walked in that locker room and you're looking at Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Roberto Clemente and Bob Gibson, you look around and say, 'What in the world am I doing here?'" he said. "All I shared with Grae was, you'll be in awe a little bit, but you at least have been in Spring Training with them and they know who you are. So, just do what you do. Just have fun, relax, be a teammate, play as hard as you can play. When you have the opportunity, enjoy it to its fullest." |
Grae Kessinger is the third generation of the family to play in the big leagues. Grae's uncle, Keith, played 11 games with the Reds in 1993. Don Kessinger set a high bar for his son and grandson by playing 16 seasons, but he's glad to pass on his lessons to another generation of big leaguers. "I think [Grae] will handle it just fine," he said. "He's grown up around baseball and had lots of conversations about things and to me, that's one of the great things about Grae is he's been under control. He kind of slows the game down. There could be bad days, but I do think he will be fine from that standpoint." |
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Astros manager Dusty Baker solidified his Hall of Fame resume last year by winning his 2,000th career game -- becoming the first Black manager to reach that number -- and winning his first World Series title after 25 years as a manager. Baker would like to join former Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston as the only Black managers to win multiple World Series. Gaston guided the Blue Jays to World Series titles in 1992 and 1993, becoming the first Black manager to win a World Series. Baker and Dave Roberts of the Dodgers (2020) have since joined him on that list. Baker, when asked Tuesday by a Toronto reporter, said Gaston should be in the Hall of Fame. "They were saying I wasn't a Hall of Famer because I haven't won anything, and then Cito wins two, but he hasn't won enough to be a Hall of Famer? What is the criteria for the Hall of Fame?" Baker said. Baker said the baseball card he's the proudest of is a Topps card from 1993 that features him and Gaston together as managers. Baker signed a bunch of them and sent them to Gaston to sign as well, which he did. Baker's next goal is getting a photo with both Gaston and Roberts. "I've got a photo of myself and Cito and Don Baylor on my wall, but I'd like to have one with Cito, Dave Roberts and myself," he said. |
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Roger Craig's place in Astros history goes well beyond his stint as Houston's pitching coach from 1974-75. If you ask Astros fans about Craig, they'll immediately connect the dots with pitcher Mike Scott, who was taught the split-fingered fastball by Craig and used that pitch to dominate the National League in the late 1980s, including Craig's Giants. Craig, a 12-year Major League pitcher and longtime coach and manager, passed away recently at age 93. Craig made the pitch famous when he was the pitching coach of the Tigers, who won the World Series in 1984. Scott was a fledgling pitcher who went 5-11 with a 4.68 ERA for the Astros in 1984 when general manager Al Rosen suggested to him that he seek out Craig that winter to learn to throw the split-fingered fastball. Scott, acquired from the Mets in exchange for Danny Heep on Dec. 10, 1982, was 30 years old and threw a flat fastball without much movement. With Craig's help, Scott went 18-8 with a 3.29 ERA in 1985 and quickly became a star. In 1986, he went 18-10 and led the league in ERA (2.22), shutouts (five), innings pitched (275 1/3), and strikeouts (306) en route to the NL Cy Young Award. He clinched the award when he pitched a no-hitter to win the NL West against the Giants with Craig as the manager. Allegations that Scott was scuffing the baseball to give him an advantage followed Scott throughout that season, with Craig leading the charge. "It was tough, annoying," said former Astros manager Hal Lanier, "especially when we played the Giants. Roger Craig made a big, big thing about it. There were other clubs, also. The Cubs made a big deal about it. They had cameras on him throughout the games every time he started. The Mets during the playoffs were keeping baseballs. Mike and I talked, and I said, 'Mike, just go out there and do what you're doing, what you've done all year.'" |
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