MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -Larry Young sat in the stands behind home plate on Thursday, a proud papa watching his sons Dmitri and Delmon play against each other on the baseball diamond.
A common scene in America. But what separates Larry Young from most fathers is that he was watching his kids play in the major leagues.
Delmon, the 22-year-old left fielder for the Minnesota Twins, and Dmitri, a 34-year-old first baseman for the Washington Nationals, faced each other as professionals for the first time this week in a series their dad thought might never happen.
“Not until last year when Dmitri had the season he had,” Larry Young said of Dmitri’s career-reviving All-Star season in 2007. “I thought the chances were slim. I didn’t know if he was going to be back in baseball so it makes this week even more special because Dmitri always wanted to play against Delmon.”
Perhaps trying a little too hard to one-up each other in the series, the Young brothers were relatively quiet in Minnesota’s three-game sweep of the Nationals. Dmitri went 2-for-10, including a rather meaningless solo homer in a 9-3 loss Thursday.
“That’s definitely fun, but this is a team game and I want to win first,” he said after the game. “And it was nice to see my brother, of course. But I want to win.”
Delmon went 1-for-10 with a double, two RBIs and all the bragging rights.
“It’s exciting having two guys play against each other. But it’s kind of frustrating watching them not get the hits I’d like to see them get,” said Larry Young, a former Navy pilot and the demanding leader of “Camp Larry” that molded his sons into hitting machines. “So it’s kind of bittersweet.”
The Young clan was well-represented in the stands as well, with Larry, his two daughters and Dmitri’s three children, including precocious sons Owen and Damon who followed Uncle Delmon around the Twins clubhouse.
“It’s always an adventure with them,” Delmon said.
Dmitri was the fourth overall pick by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1991 draft. Little brother Delmon was picked No. 1 by Tampa Bay 12 years later, making them the first siblings in baseball history to be drafted in the top five picks.
“When Dmitri got drafted, he said right after that one day he’d like to be playing with or against his brother in the majors,” Larry said.
Dmitri had some solid seasons with Cincinnati and Detroit from 1998-2005, but struggled mightily with legal trouble, substance abuse and health issues before Washington gave him one last chance to stick in the big leagues.
He earned comeback player of the year honors with a .320 batting average last season and signed a two-year, $10 million extension.
Delmon was just 5 years old when Dmitri left home to pursue his big league dreams, so the opportunity to see each other in midseason was extra special.
“I actually took care of him, because he was my little brother. Slammed him around a little bit, but not too much,” Dmitri joked. “Then when I was 17, I signed professionally and left the house. So a lot of the stuff he’s done I’ve never seen.”
Delmon ran into his own problems during his time with Tampa Bay, clashing with management and getting suspended in the minors for flinging a bat at an umpire. He hasn’t caused any trouble since being traded to the Twins last offseason, but is still getting to know his teammates and get comfortable in Minnesota. He is hitting .272 with one home run and 24 RBIs.
“I think he’s just trying a little too hard,” Larry Young said.
Prior to his struggles against Washington, Delmon went 7-for-14 to help the Twins take two of three from Milwaukee, raising his average to .278.
He said he didn’t plan to rub the sweep in on his older brother, preferring instead to concentrate on enjoying the time with his family.
“It’s always good to have your family around,” Delmon said. “They’re your number one supporters.”
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