New Haven Register (Sunday) (New Haven, CT)
Baseball a family affair for Kuzias
HARTFORD — On a recent warm, spring night at Dunkin’ Park, Seymour’s Tom and Jackie Kuzia were nestled in their seats several rows above the Yard Goats’ dugout.
Where else would you expect the proud parents to be when their son, Nick, is one of the top arms out of the Yard Goats’ bullpen? Except it wasn’t just an hour-long drive from Seymour for the Kuzias. They’ve lived down in Cape Coral, Fla. since 2017, so getting to Nick’s games takes a lot more planning these days.
Add in the fact that their other son, Joe, pitches for the independent Long Island Ducks, and that there’s never a certainty that either will pitch on any given day, and watching their sons pitch can be a challenge for the Kuzias. A challenge they’re up for.
“They’ll go anywhere,” Nick said, in an understatement.
That’s been the case since the brothers began their respective professional careers, as undrafted free agents, in 2017. Tom and Jackie have traveled all over California following their sons. They were in Frisco, Texas two years ago when they played against each other, Joe with the Frisco Roughriders (Double-A affiliate of Texas), Nick with the San Antonio Missions, the Padres’ Double-A team.
Last season, when Nick was in the Tigers’ organization, spring training games were a short drive down the road to Lakeland, Florida. Nick spent most of the season with Double-A Erie, which plays in the Eastern League along with the Yard Goats. However, Erie never made a trip to Hartford.
Lately, Jackie’s mom, Phylis, has been joining the travel party, as well.
“It’s been exciting,” Tom Kuzia said. “Baseball’s tough, it’s very up and down… I don’t know how they’ve done it. Every single time I see (Nick), it’s like, ‘I don’t know how you do it? You’ve been living out of a suitcase since you were 17 years old.’”
Nick’s response: “This is all we’ve ever known.”
A few weeks ago there was a prime opportunity for the Kuzias to watch both of their boys pitch, with the Yard Goats and Ducks both on weeklong homestands. Of course, for the first two games of the Goats’ series with Portland, Nick didn’t get into the game. Finally, on the third night, Nick threw 1 2/3 innings of relief,
striking out two and allowing a run.
The following day, Tom and Jackie took the Long Island ferry out of Bridgeport to see Joe pitch. Unfortunately, he didn’t get into that game. The following day, the game was rained out.
And so, it was back to sunny Florida for the proud parents. But they’ll be back.
“It’s really nice to have him close to (Seymour),” Tom Kuzia said. “People come up to me in the stands, because I let them know I’m coming to the game. They’ve been following the kids for so long, finally maybe they’ll see him get on the mound.”
Nick still has family in Seymour and the Valley area and gets back to golf with his buddies every now and then. He lives in an apartment complex, where the rest of the Goats also live, right behind Dunkin’ Park, though Tom and Jackie haven’t been there yet.
“I don’t know if I want to,” Jackie quipped.
Since last season, major-league organizations have paid for minor-leaguers’ living accommodations. They also now pay them during spring training, and have increased their salaries, as well.
It’s made things a lot
easier for Nick, who got married in November and has a home in Franklin, Mass. with his wife, Kathryn. With Mondays an offday all summer, Nick usually drives home to Franklin to spend a day with his wife when the Yard Goats are in town.
Joe’s been at this for so long, two of the independent teams he’s pitched for (the Bridgeport Bluefish and New Britain Bees) no longer exist. He has a good setup with the Ducks, who are one of the more prominent independent league teams and have employed numerous ex-big leaguers over the years who are trying to get back to the bigs. This year, the Ducks, who are managed by ex-Met Wally Backman, feature former Met star Daniel Murphy on the roster.
Of course, the goal for both Kuzias remains the major leagues. Nick, for one, isn’t about to let his dream die just yet. He’s 27, on the older side for Double-A, but sees stories like Drew Maggi, who recently made his big-league debut with the Pirates after 13 seasons and 1,155 games in the minors, for inspiration.
“It does give you high hopes,” Nick said. “I consider myself pretty young. It’s all relative, I know, but I don’t see myself as anywhere
near done yet.”
Certainly, Kuzia’s had a nice debut season with the Yard Goats. A few shaky outings lately have bumped his ERA up to 4.57, but he’s notched a team-best seven saves as the Goats’ primary closer.
“You get a little more of an adrenaline rush than, say, pitching in the fourth or fifth inning,” ’ he noted. “Obviously, the game’s on the line. I really enjoy the pressure and the big moment. I feel like my stuff is sharper, just a little bit. It’s just fun to be out there at the end of the game when all eyes are on you.”
As far as Tom and Jackie are concerned, they’ll continue to support their sons as they chase their major-league dreams.
“That’s all we can do,” said Jackie.
Added Tom: “All I’ve ever told them, through their college and professional careers, if you always give it your total, 100-percent, you’ll never look back later and say, ‘Jeez, if I just did this or did that.’ Luckily, we’re in a position where we can still help him do things.”
“I don’t know anybody,” he added, “that works harder than those kids do.”
And few parents are as dedicated to watching their sons pitch as Tom and Jackie Kuzia.