When taking a look at the crowd at any given Kingfish game, one easily notices an abundance of fathers and sons. But what some do not realize is that a father-son duo can be seen on the field as well. Accomplished manager Duffy Dyer is flanked by his son Brian Dyer, the Kingfish third base and hitting coach. The pair have been coaching high school baseball together in Arizona for the past two years, and now find themselves in Kenosha for the summer. “Everything I’ve learned about baseball comes from being around my dad,” says Brian. “It was an unbelievable experience to grow up with him being in Major League Baseball and one I remember fondly.”
But playing 14 years in the pros for the Mets, Pirates, Expos, and Tigers meant that Duffy was not always around to enjoy baseball with his son. Though he spent a handful of summers with his dad’s teams as he grew older, Brian did not have him around to watch his own games. “It was frustrating because he’d have to hear about my Little League games over the phone since he couldn’t see them in person.” That’s why the opportunity to spend more time with his father around the game they both love was too appealing to pass up. “It’s great to finally share baseball with my dad in person as coaches together.”
Moving forward, Brian likes the direction the team is headed. “We’re really happy with the group of guys we’ve got here. They play hard, they listen, and they play for each other.” Tonight the Kingfish send right-hander Connor Kelly to the hill. The Arizona native, who played at Chandler-Gilbert Community College last spring, will be making his third start of the season and looks to build on the success of his first two outings. Kelly’s ability to get ahead in the count and field his position has helped him to an impressive 2.61 ERA, good for third on the team.
Last night the Kingfish took down the Kalamazoo Growlers by a score of 4-3 at historic Simmons Field. The game was highlighted by a 3-run sixth inning for the home team, led by a 2-RBI triple from Pat Porter. Porter gave Growler pitchers problems all day, reaching base in each of his five at-bats. Recording the win for the Kingfish was reliever Curtis Morgan, who pitched four innings without allowing an earned run.
