The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. In certain scenarios, it lands right in your lap.
Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. hit a foul ball down the first-base line in the seventh inning of Thursday’s 10-1 win over the Texas Rangers.
The ball landed in a suite, right in front of his dad, former MLB pitcher Bobby Witt Sr.
Bally Sports Kansas City reporter Joel Goldberg said he asked Witt Jr. if he would sign the ball that turned into his dad’s souvenir, and he said perhaps both of them would sign it.
The father-son duo became the first of their kind in big league history to be selected in the first five picks of the MLB Draft. Witt Jr. was selected second overall in 2019, while his dad was selected third overall in 1985.
The more experienced (we’re not going to call him ‘old,’ that’s rude) Witt, has a World Series ring, an almost no-hitter, and an almost perfect game.
In 1994, playing for the Oakland A’s, Witt was coincidentally playing the Royals. The hit was a bunt single from Greg Gagne. Well, if replay had been a thing back then, it would have shown that Witt Sr. beat Gagne to first base.
So yes, it’s a one-hitter, but Witt recalls it like poetry.
“A one-hitter with 14 strikeouts and no walks,” Witt told ESPN in 2011.
Talk about father, son bonding.
About Jessica Kleinschmidt
Jess is a baseball fan with Reno, Nev. roots residing in the Bay Area. She is the host of "Short and to the Point" and is also a broadcaster with the Oakland A's Radio Network. She previously worked for MLB.com and NBC Sports Bay Area.