Jonathan Redd and his older brother Reggie are siblings from different generations who are linked by the same jersey, as well.

Reggie and Jonathan, who were born 25 years apart, grew up with the jersey -- worn in games by Yastrzemski and Feller. Rodley, the brothers' father and the Raleigh Caps' batboy in 1959, saved the shirt from the trash after it was discarded following the season.

The jersey is a factor in the brothers wearing No. 8 (Yastrzemski's number with the Boston Red Sox) at Broughton High. It is also symbolic of the link baseball has been for the Redd brothers.

Twenty-five years after Reggie Redd, now 43, wore No. 8 as the starting shortstop at Broughton, Jonathan Redd, 18, starts at first base and wears No. 8 for the school.

Reggie, one of three sons born to Rodley and Reca Redd, is old enough to be Jonathan's father, but their relationship has always been brother to brother.

"I think a big part of that is baseball," Rodley Redd said. "Baseball has a way of pulling people together."

Reggie said he never felt like a father figure to Jonathan.

"There was never a need for that," Reggie said. "Baseball was always something we shared.

"We've been playing baseball together since he was about 3 years old."

Ralph, 45; Reggie; and Russ, 33, were the children of Rodley Redd and Reca.

After a divorce and Rodley's marriage to Cynthia, Cameron, 20, and Jonathan came along.

"But we never got involved in who belonged to who," Reggie said. "We are just brothers."

Robert Redd, a cousin, started the No. 8 trend. He knew about the jersey, followed Yastrzemski's career and wore the number at Enloe.

Reggie wore No. 5 in honor of Baltimore Orioles great Brooks Robinson at one time; No. 19 because of Red Sox star Fred Lynn; and No. 12 and 13 at various times before settling on No. 8.

Reggie was decked out in his Robinson gear when he met Yastrzemski after a game.

"Yastrzemski told me that if I was going to have a hero, I had picked a good one," Reggie recalled.

There was no question that Jonathan would wear No. 8 when he arrived at Broughton.

"I grew up hearing about Yastrzemski," said Jonathan, who is hitting about .370 for the Caps. "It was sort of a family tradition; I had heard about Yastrzemski my whole life."

Reggie played baseball at Louisburg College and at UNC-Wilmington after graduating from Broughton. So far, Jonathan is following the same path.

Jonathan has made a commitment to play baseball at Louisburg.

But first he will play in a N.C. High School Athletic Association 4-A first-round baseball playoff game on Friday.

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