Charlie, Ke'Bryan Hayes connect for father-son first pitch

PHILADELPHIA -- Ke'Bryan Hayes knows his father too well.

Prior to the Pirates' 5-0 win over the Phillies on Sunday afternoon at Citizens Bank Park, former Phillie Charlie Hayes threw out the ceremonial first pitch to his son, Pirates third baseman Ke'Bryan, landing a perfect strike right over the heart of the plate. As Ke'Bryan squatted down in front of 30,355 fans, he had no doubt in his mind that his pops would deliver.

"I knew he was going to throw it right there in my vicinity," Ke'Bryan said. "I wasn’t really worried at all."

For Charlie and Ke'Bryan, this was their first opportunity to share such a moment. It may not be their last. Ke'Bryan mentioned that Charlie will throw out another first pitch to him when the Pirates travel to New York to play the Yankees in September. Charlie caught the final out of the 1996 World Series, the championship that began the Bronx Bombers' stretch of dominance.

The elder Hayes played for Philadelphia from 1989 to 1991, then again in 1995. Hayes' most memorable moment with the Phillies came in 1990, when he saved Terry Mulholland's no-hitter by snagging Gary Carter's screamer down the third-base line for the game's final out, a play that was featured on the jumbotron Sunday.

"To be able to follow in his footsteps and then be on the field together, get a first pitch -- that was the first time we ever did that," Ke'Bryan said. "It was pretty cool."