World Series Champ Lives Among Us

Did you know that your Shelby Township neighbor is a World Series champion and Cy Young Award winner?

In case you hadn't heard, Toronto Blue Jays star Pat Hentgen lives and breathes in Shelby Township with his wife and three daughters. Since retiring from his Major League Baseball playing days in 2004, he’s enjoyed every minute at home raising his kids, coaching girls’ softball and family bike rides at Stony Creek. 

This month however, Hentgen has started to pack for spring training and will embark on a new adventure as bullpen coach for the Blue Jays. It’ll be his first full-time job since pitching and while he is very excited for the position itself, he’s a little apprehensive about the grueling MLB schedule that he is all too familiar with.

“I’m already nervous about leaving,” said Hentgen. “I will miss my family. The only negative thing about professional baseball is that you are gone all the time. There is a game just about every day. Over the last seven years it’s been fantastic to go on my kids’ every field trip, go to every game and help coach their teams. That part has been great and that’s what I will miss most.” 

Then

Hentgen hailed from Fraser High and was drafted out of high school in the amateur draft by the Toronto Blue Jays in 1986. He spent 5 ½ years in the minor leagues and was called up to the big leagues in September of 1991. In 1993 the Blue Jays won the World Series and Hentgen recorded 19 wins on the year. 

Three years later and still with Toronto, Hentgen won the Cy Young Award, finishing the season at 20-10 and with an earned run average of 3.22. The award is given annually to the best American and National League pitchers, as voted on by the Baseball Writers Association of America.

In total, Hentgen played 14 seasons in the major leagues, 10 with the Blue Jays, three with Baltimore and one in St. Louis. He was selected as an All-Star in 1993, 1994 and 1997.

Now

The Hentgens have lived in Shelby Township since 1994 and all three daughters attend school locally. In fact, the whole extended family is close by, with the furthest being in Clarkston.    

“My favorite thing about Shelby Township is Stony Creek Metropark,” said Hentgen. “It’s a nice park and we like to ride our bikes there. I also like the fact that there are a lot of mature trees in our area, although not as many as there were when we moved here.”

Hentgen was hired in 2006 by the Blue Jays as a special adviser to the club.

“That job was great,” said Hentgen. “I was able to stay home as much as I wanted and travel as much as I wanted.  I only traveled 3-5 days a month.”

When the Blue Jays offered the recent coaching position, it was a one-year offer that Hentgen couldn’t refuse.

Next

Hentgen will hit the road for Grapefruit League action in Dunedin, FL, mid-February to help the team improve on its 85-77 2009/2010 season record.

“I will be an extension of the pitching coach that is in the dugout,” said Hentgen.  “I’ll be in the bullpen with the seven relievers and I’ll get them ready for the game. I’ll have a lineup of the guys that they will have to face and I’ll tell them who they will be up against so they can concentrate on warming up and not have to watch the game. I’ll be an extra set of eyes for the pitching coach and I’ll be able to tell who’s ready. And I’m the receiver of the call from the dugout.”

Pitcher and catchers report to spring training first and Hentgen is looking forward to his new challenge. 

“There are still players in the league that I played with and against,” said Hentgen.  “I think that’s an advantage I bring to the team as a coach. I can tell players that I faced Jeter and other guys and they’ll be more apt to listen to what I have to say. It instantly opens conversation with the pitcher.” 

Lucky for the Hentgens, Toronto is close. He and his wife have already made family travel plans for home stands and road trips.

“It’s going to be hard being away,” said Hentgen. “But I am up for the challenge.”

Next time you watch a Toronto Blue Jays game, be sure to check out the guy answering the phone in the bullpen. It’s your Shelby Township neighbor, Pat Hentgen.