Kornacki: Kerr Family Tree Branches Lead to Fisher Stadium
5/6/2017 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 6, 2017
By Steve Kornacki
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Jimmy Kerr is a pretty good story right now all by himself.
The sophomore second baseman from Scottsdale, Arizona, was the Big Ten Player of the Week after going 7-for-10 at Rutgers last weekend. He's batting .478 in eight games since replacing injured star Ako Thomas and sparked Saturday's (May 6) 5-2 win over Ohio State by going two-for-three, stealing third before scoring on a sacrifice fly, adding a sacrifice bunt and making a diving catch in what could've been the Buckeyes' big inning.
However, add his grandfather, John, and father, Derek, into the picture and Jimmy becomes part of a very special story. The Kerrs are a three-generation Wolverines baseball family that has played with some of the greatest names and on some of the greatest teams the program has ever produced.
Jimmy's grandfather and father combined to play with or for five of the six men whose numbers are retired on the left-field wall at Fisher Stadium: No. 1 Moby Benedict, No. 11 Bill Freehan, No. 16 Barry Larkin, No. 31 Jim Abbott and No. 33 Don Lund.
"My number's actually out there on that wall, too," John, a key player on the 1962 national championship team, noted. "I wore 16, and they retired it for Larkin."
He laughed about that with his son after they watched Jimmy have another big game.
Derek Kerr was a catcher on a Michigan team that reached the 1984 College World Series in Omaha and was part of Big Ten championship teams that year and in 1986. He played with future Hall of Fame shortstop Barry Larkin and pitcher Jim Abbott, who won the Golden Spikes Award as the nation's top college player.
"It's so special to watch Jimmy play on the field we both played on," said Derek. "And my dad gets to watch him, too, which is great. Then, all the guys I used to play with get to come out and watch him play. It's so special that he's taking advantage of the chance he's had.
"This is a lot of fun."
Derek, 52, has moved to Dallas and is the executive vice president and chief financial officer for American Airlines. John, 76, is retired and living in Tucson, Arizona. However, they and other family members often fly to Detroit and make the short drive over to Ann Arbor for Wolverines games.
"I wouldn't miss the grandson playing ball here for anything," said John. "This is fantastic.
"This tradition means everything to all of us. It's just unbelievable to see him doing as well as he's doing. We're obviously very proud, and at my age, you look for those kinds of things. I mean, I never anticipated anything like this happening. This is the greatest thing that's happened at my age. There's no doubt about that."
John Kerr helped pitch and hit Michigan to its last College World Series championship as a senior in 1962 with an amazing feat in the NCAA District 4 Regional in Kalamazoo, Michigan. He beat Big Ten champion Illinois, 5-1, by pitching a complete game. Kerr told Wolverines coach Don Lund he felt fine and could pitch the next game, too. Kerr went 10 innings this time, beating Mid-American Conference champion Western Michigan, 3-2, and even driving in the winning run in the bottom of the 10th.
"I pitched a doubleheader in one day," said John. "I threw 313 pitches one day in Kalamazoo in the regionals. Lund would've gotten (charged with) child abuse today for making somebody throw so many pitches, and then our (NCAA) championship game went 15 innings.
"It was a fantastic time, and Freehan had signed his contract with the Tigers before that year. But we had a lot of good players, and somehow we lucked out and won the whole thing."
The Wolverines beat Santa Clara, 5-4, in the College World Series championship game. Jim Bobel hit a triple to score the go-ahead run and then raced home on a wild pitch to score a much needed insurance run because Santa Clara scored once in the bottom of the 15th.
"I didn't really hear a lot of stories about these teams until I got here," said Jimmy. "Then I started prodding a little more. My grandpa says all of those memories seem like just yesterday. He told me about running in from the left-field bullpen after winning the national championship."
John played for Lund and future Wolverines head coach Moby Benedict was an assistant coach on that team. Freehan, who went onto become a perennial all-star catcher for the Detroit Tigers, was off pro baseball by '62 but set a still-standing record for batting average in conference games over one season by hitting .585 in 1961.
Freehan's grandson, freshman catcher Harrison Salter, is now Jimmy's teammate. Current starting catcher Harrison Wenson is the son of Paul Wenson, who was Derek Kerr's classmate on those Michigan teams after playing together at nearby Farmington High.
"It's really cool having this school tradition for all of us -- my teammates, grandpa and dad," said Jimmy.
Jimmy has seen his batting average rise from .214 to .308 since replacing Thomas, who Bakich said could be available to pinch run and "possibly" play defense next week.
However, since Thomas, who was leading the Big Ten in runs scored and batting a team-high .371, was injured during his first at-bat against Indiana on April 21, Kerr has filled in with distinction.
"This is what we train for -- to be prepared to fill the role -- if called upon," said Kerr.
Bakich said, "He's like a sixth man in basketball. You look at the stat sheet, and he's involved in everything. We haven't missed a beat with him plugged into the starting lineup and has really capitalized. He's getting big hits, scored a big run, and his web ge' diving catch today was huge.
"Jimmy's a very versatile athlete. He's a guy who we could not only put at second, but first and third, in the outfield, at DH -- he pretty much does everything but pitch and catch."
Grandpa and Dad, who pitched and caught, both chuckled about that quirk.
"Isn't that funny," said Derek, who met his wife, Carolyn, when both were attaining their master of business administration post-graduate degrees at Michigan.
Pitchers and catchers are often among the biggest players on baseball teams, but Derek said Jimmy was undersized "until a growth spurt during his junior year" of high school, and he's now 6-foot-1, 185 pounds.
Jimmy had played first and third base this season and hadn't played second since high school. However, he credited shortstop Michael Brdar with helping him make a quick, smooth transition.
"He's been such a big mentor to me," said Kerr.
The No. 17 Wolverines (35-10, 11-6 Big Ten) are dreaming big dreams and hoping for success in the upcoming Big Ten and NCAA Tournaments. And, who knows, perhaps they could even advance to Omaha, where both Kerr's father and grandfather reached the game's pinnacle event.
"That is what we talk about on this team," said Kerr, glancing over at the 1953 and 1962 national champions noted on the right-field wall. "We want to be on our own team, but we honor those guys. A lot of them still come to our banquets, and not a lot of schools have two national championships.
"But that's what we're building toward, and it's pretty cool to have that out there."
If you follow the Kerr family tree, each branch has a way of winding its way to Fisher Stadium.
"The coolest part for me is seeing how close my dad is to all the guys he played with," said Jimmy. "He stays in touch with all of these guys, and now we're building a brotherhood like that on this team, and I think I'll also have lifelong relationships with the guys in our locker room."
Bakich summed it up well: "It means an awful lot for him to wear a Michigan uniform. He's a third-generation Kerr. Each of our guys has a personal mantra -- something that gives them a lot of confidence with a saying or a phrase.
"Jimmy's is 'JDJ,' and that's the initials from the first names of his grandfather, father and him. It's on his glove. It's on his bat. It's on his batting gloves. He draws a lot of confidence from being a third-generation Michigan baseball player. It means an awful lot for him to be out here and in their shoes. Now, he's having such great success, and I know his family is loving it."
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