Charlie Hayes expecting tears of joy while watching son Ke'Bryan make debut with Pirates

When Charlie Hayes found it hard to hide his feelings about the Pittsburgh Pirates passing on promoting his son last September or to start this season after testing positive for covid-19 in training camp, he had to learn to listen to the words he preached.

Now that Ke’Bryan Hayes is expected to make his major league debut for the Pirates on Tuesday night against the Chicago Cubs at PNC Park, Charlie Hayes can’t help but express his joy.

“I was kind of frustrated for Key because he wasn’t able to realize his dream when we all thought he was ready,” Charlie Hayes said. “We preached to stay the course and trust the process. Those are the words we told him, and I had to apply them to myself, as well. I’m pretty sure when he runs on that field I’m going to have tears in my eyes. As a parent, I would love to be there. In the times we’re in, that’s just not possible.”

The Hayes family will be watching the telecast from Houston when Ke’Bryan, 23, the No. 32 overall pick in the 2015 MLB Draft and the team’s top position prospect, plays third base for the Pirates in an empty ballpark. Fans aren’t permitted to attend games this season because of the coronavirus, which has put a damper on major league debuts.

Pirates manager Derek Shelton is enthused about adding Ke’Bryan Hayes’ Gold Glove-caliber defense and power potential to the lineup, especially after seeing his aggressive swings in spring training.

“There’s a lot to like about Ke’Bryan,” Shelton said. “No. 1, his heartbeat’s good. I think he likes the lights, and what I mean by that is he likes to play in big atmospheres. His ability to play third base came as advertised, if not better.”

Ke’Bryan Hayes is expected to wear No. 13, which he wore in spring training and is the same number Charlie wore with the Colorado Rockies, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Yankees and San Francisco Giants. Charlie is superstitious, so he always wore the number when it was available. Hayes originally wore No. 33 with the Yankees but said he gladly switched back to 13 after David Wells enticed him to trade the number by giving him a Rolex watch.

“Going down to spring training this year, seeing ‘Key’ in 13 brought tears to my eyes,” Hayes said. “He was finally comfortable in his own skin. When I saw him with my number on, I knew he was ready to face what he was about to face. I feel like I was a flawed major league player. He’s way more polished than I was.”

Ke'Bryan Ke'Boom ?
"Is that Charlie Hayes' son? That's Charlie Hayes' son!"#Pirates' Ke'Bryan Hayes got @toriihunter48 all revved up in today's #FuturesGame.
Video: https://t.co/YOeU5DEw55 pic.twitter.com/VU3SBpnQfV

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) July 16, 2018

Charlie Hayes wore No. 17 when he played 128 games for the Pirates in 1996, hitting .248 with 21 doubles, 10 home runs and 62 RBIs, before being traded to the Yankees. (That number now belongs to Shelton).

The trade to the Yankees — for minor-league pitcher Chris Corn — provided the most famous moment of Charlie Hayes’ career. He was playing third base against the Atlanta Braves and caught Mark Lemke’s pop-up in foul territory for the final out of Game 6 of the ’96 World Series to clinch the Yankees’ first world championship since 1978.

“A lot of people remember me from being on the Yankees and catching that pop-up,” Charlie Hayes said, “but I remember going into the draft I was talking to Cecil Fielder and he asked where I wanted Ke’Bryan to go. The Dodgers had called and told his agent they really liked him and were thinking about taking him at 36.

“I said, ‘I think the ideal place for Ke’Bryan would be Pittsburgh,’ ” Charlie said. “Why? I said, ‘I remember that place. The people there are blue-collar people. That’s exactly like Ke’Bryan.’ He has an unbelievable motor when it comes to working. I never thought that would happen. When it happened, I thought that today must be lucky day, so I went out and bought $100 worth of lottery tickets.”

Charlie Hayes doesn’t hesitate to call Ke’Bryan the least talented but most dedicated baseball player of his three sons, though he’s quick to credit to his wife, Gelinda, and older sons Charles Jr. and Tyree with instilling the love of the game in their younger brother playing endlessly in their backyard.

That boy done made “The Show” years of hard work and sacrifice has finally paid off young Hayes. Congrats and we are all proud of you Brodie ???????? @KeBryanHayes #mlb #rookieoftheyear #theshow #Pittsburghpirates

— Charles Hayes Jr. (@_RichBlackman) August 31, 2020

What separated Ke’Bryan was his single-minded focus and dedication to the craft from a young age. Charlie taught him to take defense seriously. He can’t expect to get a hit every game, but he can catch every ball hit his way. What Charlie appreciates is how Ke’Bryan takes the same approach every day, whether he went 0 for 4 or 4 for 4.

“It’s special for me because I’ve seen the grind,” Charlie Hayes said. “I think a lot of people think the grind is when the lights come on. It’s the dirt on his knees and blood in the batting gloves. I’ve seen it all. The one thing that’s made it a joy tagging along and watching him is his commitment to be the best and working to get better every day.

“I know the whole story. It gives me so much gratification that he stayed the course and we are where we are today. … Today is a very special day in our house, not only for me but for all of us. As a family, we’re so proud of this kid.”