Jerry Hairston Sr. facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Jerry Hairston Sr. |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
 |
|||
| Outfielder | |||
| Born: February 16, 1952 Birmingham, Alabama, U.S. |
|||
|
|||
| debut | |||
| July 26, 1973, for the Chicago White Sox | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| September 25, 1989, for the Chicago White Sox | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .258 | ||
| Home runs | 30 | ||
| Runs batted in | 205 | ||
| Teams | |||
|
|||
Jerry Wayne Hairston Sr. (born February 16, 1952) is a former professional baseball player from the United States. He played as a left fielder in Major League Baseball (MLB). Jerry Hairston Sr. is also famous for being the father of two other MLB players: Jerry Hairston Jr. and Scott Hairston. During his 14-year career, he was known for being a great pinch hitter. He also has three other children named Justin, Stacey, and Anna.
Jerry Hairston Sr.'s Baseball Journey
Jerry Hairston Sr. played baseball for 14 seasons in the major leagues. Most of his time was with the Chicago White Sox. He also played a short time with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
He spent three years (from 1978 to 1980) playing in the Mexican League. While in Mexico, Hairston won a batting title. He also represented Mexican League teams twice at the Caribbean Series. He met his wife, Esperanza Arellano, in Hermosillo, Mexico. They even had their wedding ceremony at a baseball stadium there!
Jerry Hairston Sr. holds a special record for the White Sox. He is their all-time leader in pinch hits. A pinch hitter is a player who bats in place of another player. He had 90 pinch hits during his career. As a pinch hitter, he had a batting average of .258 and hit 8 home runs.
One memorable moment happened on April 15, 1983. Hairston was playing against Milt Wilcox of the Detroit Tigers. Wilcox was pitching a perfect game, which means no opposing player had reached base. But with two outs in the ninth inning, Hairston hit a single, breaking the perfect game bid.
Family and Baseball Legacy
Jerry Hairston Sr. comes from a very special baseball family. His father, Sam Hairston, was also a major league player. His brother, Johnny Hairston, played in the major leagues too.
As mentioned, Jerry Hairston Sr. is the father of two more MLB players: Jerry Hairston Jr. and Scott Hairston. This makes the Hairston family one of only three families in baseball history to have three generations of major league players. The other two families are the Boone family and the Bell family.
Jerry Hairston Sr. was raised as a Jehovah's Witnesses. He has said that his faith helped him get through his four seasons playing baseball in Mexico.
See also
- List of second-generation Major League Baseball players
