Thomas Slater’s phone “blew up” June 20, he said, when people started calling him about something his 24-year-old son, Austin, had just done in Atlanta.
A rookie outfielder for the San Francisco Giants, Austin had stepped up to the plate at SunTrust Park in the eighth inning and hit a three-run homer against the Braves to spark the Giants to a 6-3 victory, snapping a seven-game losing streak.
“The kid bailed us out,” said Giants manager Bruce Bochy in a story published by upi.com.
“It’s a dream come true,” said Slater, a partner at the Pajcic & Pajcic law firm.
His son’s baseball career began at age 5 when Austin played T-ball in the Navy Ortega League. Slater has photos in his office from summer trips he and Austin took each year to Major League Baseball cities.
Austin was a standout at The Bolles School, where he played second base and shortstop. In his senior year, he was team captain and rated the top prospect in the state by Prospect Wire.
He committed to Stanford University and was scouted by several major league teams.
Despite breaking his ankle while playing Frisbee, having surgery and sitting out most of his final prep season, Austin was selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 44th round of the 2011 major league baseball draft.
He passed on the pros, however, and headed to another California destination — Palo Alto — to study computer science and play baseball for the Cardinal.
After leading Stanford in hits, doubles and triples in his junior season, Austin was drafted by the Giants in the eighth round in 2014. He signed a contract and played in the minor leagues for more than two years, where he had a .308 batting average.
Austin had his major league debut with the Giants on June 2 and went 1-5 with a single, walk and an RBI. He hit his first home run against Milwaukee on June 8.
As of Thursday, he’s hitting .333 with two home runs and 12 RBIs in 75 at bats.
As much as his son is enjoying playing professional baseball, he’s already planning for a career after he hangs up his cleats, Slater said, likely in the front office on the business side of baseball.
That will happen after the Giants cover the cost to finish his degree at Stanford, one of the terms of his contract with the team.
“He knows he needs to get his degree,” Slater said.
In the meantime, he said it’s rewarding to see Austin succeed — and a lot of fun to see him on the sports television networks.
“I think every man grows up dreaming about playing pro sports. To have your son do it makes you a really proud father,” he added.
One of Austin’s biggest fans was his maternal grandfather, the late Ed Austin, former 4th Judicial Circuit public defender, state attorney and mayor of Jacksonville from 1991 to 1995.
“I know his grandfather would be proud of him,” Slater said.