A HollyGood Short: MLB Opening Day ’24–Celebrities You Didn’t Know Were Related to Major League Baseball Players (2024/03/25)- Tickets to Movies in Theaters, Broadway Shows, London Theatre & More

TAlent often runs through families like veins of gold through a rock. This seems particularly true in baseball, as many players in the major leagues have family members who were famous outside of sports, including some surprising celebrities you probably didn't know.

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AAlthough Bader was considered a highly regarded prospect by the St. Louis Cardinals, he never developed into anything more than a solid fourth outfielder. Now on his fourth major league team in eight seasons, he has posted a combined .243 batting average with 59 home runs and 217 RBIs in 635 career games. His mother is a Baio and his cousin is Charles In Charge actor Scott Baio.

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TThe left-handed Lupien spent most of his six-year career (1940; 1942–45; 1948) playing during World War II, when many players were forced into military service. The Harvard graduate was discharged early from the Navy and hit a combined .268 with 18 home runs and 230 RBIs in 614 games. Following his playing career, he was a long-time college coach in various sports. WWE wrestler and A-list actor John Cena is his grandson.

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KKnown as “Nails,” left-hander Dykstra made three All-Star teams during his 12-year career between the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies (1985-1996). He posted a .285 overall average with 81 home runs, 404 RBIs and 285 stolen bases in 1,278 games. Unfortunately, since his retirement, his life has often been plagued with controversy and legal problems. His son Cutter was drafted in the second round of the 2008 draft and spent nearly a decade in the minor leagues but was never drafted to continue the family business. He married former Sopranos star Jamie-Lynn Sigler in 2016 and made her Lenny's daughter-in-law.

GIlmartin, a left-handed pitcher, was previously selected in the first round of the draft, but injuries and inconsistency led to him appearing in just 81 games (three starts) in parts of six big league seasons (2015–2020) with three different teams appeared. This resulted in mediocre results of a combined 4–5 record with a 4.34 ERA. He last played at an organized ball in 2021. Since 2017, he has been married to Kayleigh McEnany, Donald Trump's former White House press secretary.

SAlmon spent his entire 14-year career as an outfielder for the Anaheim Angels. The 1993 American League Rookie of the Year never made an All-Star team, but was certainly deserving of the honor, especially since he received MVP votes in three different seasons. His career totals of .282 batting average, 299 home runs and 1,016 RBIs make him one of the best players in team history. His second cousin is Holly Hunter, the Academy Award-winning actress best known for her work in “The Piano” who has worked in Hollywood for more than 40 years.

Ok, maybe more people know this couple, but who doesn't love talking about Joltin' Joe and the iconic blonde bombshell? A right-handed center fielder, DiMaggio spent his entire 13 years (1936-1942; 1946-1951) with the New York Yankees. During his tenure, he helped his teams to ten World Series appearances, including an astonishing nine wins. He accumulated a .325 batting average, 361 home runs and 1,537 RBIs in his career. Not only did he win three MVP awards and be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, he was also the idol of countless boys and men. In the mid-1950s, he was married for nine months to Monroe, a Hollywood actress and model known for her beauty and sex appeal.

Born on the East Coast but currently residing on the West Coast, Andrew Martin has contributed to a variety of newspapers, magazines, blogs and other media outlets, but is most fondly remembered for his master's thesis, which examined the influence of the Boston Red Sox on social identity in New England. He enjoys writing about history, sport, culture and investing and recently published his first book –The Greatest Baseball Players: 10 Baseball Biographies for New Readersa children's book about the history of baseball.

The essential Andrew

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