Since time began, sons have followed their fathers in the family business; whether it be a doctor, a lawyer, or a preacher man. Sports is just the same. In racing, it is common place to have two, three, and even four generations of drivers…and sometimes at the same time! So it is with baseball.
The Leiter family is filled with baseball pitchers; brothers Al, Mark, and Kurt all became professional baseball pitchers.
Mark’s son Mark Jr was the first of the brothers to follow his father into the realm of baseball and not surprisingly, taking it to the bump in the middle of the infield to hurl fastballs and curveballs at the opponents batters.
This past week, Al’s son Jack helped to make history when they became the second father/son combo to play in the major leagues when Jack stepped on the mound as a member of the World champion Texas Rangers.
Jack makes his debut with the Rangers 40 years after his dad Al made his review with the New York Yankees. Al is the only left-handed thrower of the bunch and spent 20 years in the Majors. Jack was just five years old when his father retired from baseball.
Mark Jr is in his fifth season as a MLB pitcher.
But the possibility of more history looms…
Currently Kurt’s son Cam is a sophomore at Florida State University where he plays on the Seminoles baseball team…you guessed it…as a pitcher. The Friday starter for the Noles regularly strikes out double digit batters in starts and is sure to grab the attention of a few teams in the Major Leagues in the next couple of years.
While other children grew up on the playground, the Leither boys grew up in the clubhouses and on the fields of Major League baseball teams.