Andy Van Slyke's Son, Scott Van Slyke, Hits First Career Home Run: Baseball's Top 5 Father-Son Duos
As Andy Van Slyke's son, Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Scott Van Slyke has a great baseball pedigree. It showed Sunday night when Scott Van Slyke hit his first major league home run with dad Andy Van Slyke, former All-Star with the Pittsburgh Pirates, in the stands.
With pretty speedy guys on base, I just wanted to get a pitch I could drive in the gap. When I got 3-0, I think my thought process changed a little bit [to] maybe give myself one shot to take the lead, Scott Van Slyke said of his pinch-hit, three-run shot that helped the Dodgers beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 6-5.
Scott Van Slyke is a rookie on the Dodgers bench, so there's no telling how his career will pan out.
But his three-run home run Sunday night was reminiscent of the skills of his father, Andy Van Slyke, an outfielder with 164 career home runs in his career with the Pirates, Cardinals, Baltimore Orioles and Philadelphia Phillies.
Should Scott Van Slyke continue to turn in performances like his pinch-hit home-run, the Van Slykes will be among the greatest father-son duos to ever play in the Major Leagues. Here are the top five:
1. Bobby and Barry Bonds: Both Bobby and Barry Bonds had their best years with the San Francisco Giants. While Barry eclipsed his father, becoming baseball's asterisk-laden home run king in 2006, Bobby Bonds was no chopped liver. Bobby had 332 career home runs, 1,024 RBI and a lifetime .268 batting average. He also appeared in three All-Star games.
2. Ken Griffey Sr. and Jr.: The Griffeys are one of the most accomplished father-son duos in the game. The elder Griffey won the World Series twice with the Cincinnati Reds in 1975 and 1976, was selected to three All-Star games and had a lifetime .296 average. The younger Griffey was even better, and many argue he would have ended his career with more home runs than Barry Bonds had he not been plagued by injuries. The younger Griffey is a surefire Hall of Famer with 630 career home runs, a .284 batting average and 1,836 RBI.
3. Cecil and Prince Fielder: Cecil and Prince Fielder both have big size and big career numbers, although Prince's career is entering his prime and Cecil has long been retired. Cecil had 319 career homers, won the World Series with the New York Yankees in 1996 and was selected to three All-Star teams. Prince signed a contract with the Tigers, the team his father is most associated with, this offseason and has 237 home runs and 680 RBI.
4. Felipe and Moises Alou: Felipe's career spanned two decades, mostly with the San Francisco Giants and the Atlanta Braves. He had a lifetime .286 average, 206 home runs and 852 RBI. His son Moises was one of the better hitters of his era, ending his career in 2008 with a .303 lifetime batting average to go along with 332 home runs and 1,287 RBI
5. Mel and Todd Stottlemyre: The only pitchers on the list, Mel is mostly associated with the New York Yankees and was a five-time All-Star selection, compiling a 164-139 record and a 2.97 earned run average and 1,257 strikeouts. His son, Todd Stottlemyre, played for five MLB teams and won back-to-back World Series with the Toronto Blue Jays. Todd had a career record of 138-121, a 4.28 ERA and 1,587 strikeouts.
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