x
Breaking News
More () »

'That's my boy' | Alex Bregman's love affair with baseball began early, dad says

“To actually see my son take the love of the game to this level, it’s incredible,” Sam Bregman said.
Credit: AP & Family photo
Alex Bregman at the 2019 Word Series, left, and playing tee ball as a child.

HOUSTON — Alex Bregman was practically destined to play in the Big Leagues.

His dad, Sam, said Alex was already obsessed with baseball at age 4 when he turned an unassisted triple play.

Later, when other kids were going to football games and school dances, Alex was in the batting cage.

“Thanksgiving, Christmas, holidays, he was down hitting while everyone else was enjoying themselves,” Sam told us back in 2017 when Bregman was a rookie in the World Series.

RELATED: Don't press your luck: Some Houston Astros are very superstitious

RELATED: Alex Bregman: 5 things you need to know about the Astros' third-baseman

The family’s love affair with baseball goes back to the 60s when Sam’s dad, Stanley, was general counsel for the then-Washington Senators. Stanley helped negotiate the deal to bring Ted Williams to the Senators.  

“I’d sit on Ted Williams lap after a ballgame,” Sam reminisced. “And then to see my son come back, play in the Major Leagues, then play in an All-Star game and then get the MVP off the All-Star game and get awarded the Ted Williams trophy … it still gives me chills just thinking about it.”

Trips to the ballpark ended when Stanley convinced a federal judge to lift the injunction that prevented the Senators from moving to Texas.

“Of course, the team left in midnight with all the moving trucks and I think my father was the most hated man in Washington for a few nights.”

Sam said baseball was always his favorite sport and watching his son play in the Big League is “surreal.”

“To actually see my son take the love of the game to this level, it’s incredible,” Sam said. “It’s something that I’ll always treasure, it’s really been a hell of a ride.”

Despite the home runs and diving catches, Sam said he’s most proud of the kind of guy Alex is off the field.  And we’re sure Grandpa Stanley, who died in 2014, is proud too.

RELATED: 'Perfect timing' | Houston baby born the same time Alex Bregman hits grand slam

RELATED: Astros walk-up songs: Here's the playlist the players use to pump them up

RELATED: Two years ago today, the Astros played in what some consider the best World Series game ever

RELATED: Astros fan submits anonymous appreciation letter to Nats fans during World Series

RELATED: Gerrit Cole passes Nolan Ryan on a pretty impressive strikeout list

RELATED: Bregman breaks out of slump with record-setting night

RELATED: Horsing around: HPD Mounted Patrol Unit shows their Astros spirit

Before You Leave, Check This Out