Like Father, Like Son: Tradition Catches On : Baseball: Playing catcher was a natural for Torrance High’s Jason Kendall. His father played the position for the San Diego Padres.

When Jason Kendall puts on the catcher’s gear today and squats behind home plate for the start of the Torrance High baseball season, he will be renewing a love affair with a sport that began as a toddler sitting with his father Fred in the San Diego Padre dugout.

As his father’s major league career was winding down in the late 1970s, Kendall got a chance to meet such legendary players as Rod Carew, Rollie Fingers, Ozzie Smith and Dave Winfield.

“(Jason) really loves the game; he’s been around baseball all of his life,” Torrance Coach Jeff Phillips said. “In fact, he loves baseball so much that he told me he wanted to play catcher just so he could handle the ball even more.”

On Friday nights, when friends were going to the movies and parties, Kendall and older brother Mike, now a pitcher at San Diego State, would be playing yard ball or hanging around at the batting cages.

The hard work and dedication have paid off for Kendall, who enters his senior season rated the 15th-best high school player in the nation by Baseball America and a member of USA Today’s 25-player preseason team. Torrance opens the season at 3 p.m. today against Paramount at Torrance Park in the first round of the El Segundo tournament.

Last season, Kendall batted .477 with a school-record 49 runs batted in, and he extended his hitting streak to 33 games to tie the state record held by Jakob Jensen of Northridge Highland Hall. Kendall can set the record with a hit in today’s game.

Kendall began his varsity career as a sophomore and hit safely in his first 21 games. The streak ended that season against Crespi, but he has a hit in every game since then. In other words, Kendall has hit safely in all but one of his 55 varsity games at Torrance.

“(The hitting streak) is a great accomplishment, something I’ll think about for quite a while,” Kendall said.

Maintaining the hitting streak hasn’t been easy. For example, in Torrance’s Southern Section playoff opener last season against Mira Costa, Kendall was intentionally walked in his first two plate appearances.

The third time he came up, Kendall hit a curveball from Mira Costa ace pitcher Jason Garner over the left-center field fence for a two-run home run to break a 2-2 tie and lift Torrance to an eventual 5-3 victory. It was the only hittable pitch Kendall saw all day and extended his hitting streak to 32 games.

“I should have walked Kendall in the third inning, even though there was a guy on first,” Mira Costa Coach Jim Beaumont said after the game. “I walked him every other time, and he got us that time. But you can’t spend all day walking people.”

In two scrimmages against South Bay high schools last week, Kendall was surprised when he was intentionally walked and thrown no fastballs.

As impressive as Kendall’s batting has been, Fred talks of his son’s defensive abilities and throwing arm as the keys to his future.

“He’s a heck of a lot better than I was,” Fred Kendall said. “He’s got a great arm, a major-league arm. He’s right there with anyone as a receiver. I was good, but I feel he’s better. He’s just got to stay focused, and I feel he’s got a pretty good head.”

Kendall made only one error at catcher last season and threw out 64% of the baserunners who attempted to steal.

“His arm is just awesome,” Phillips said. “His skills behind the plate are quality. (And) he’s picked up a great deal of foot speed.”

Phillips said that last season Torrance’s middle infielders had a tough time getting to second base before Kendall’s throws reached the bag.

Kendall’s talents extend beyond the baseball field. Last fall, he passed for 2,962 yards and 23 touchdowns as the quarterback for the football team. His yardage total was among the best in the state.

Kendall, who does not intend to play college football, said he enjoys the similarities of playing quarterback and catcher.

“I like being in control of the game; I love the action,” he said. “As catcher, you are in control of what’s going on out there.”

Another similarity is that both positions often involve violent collisions.

“I get sore, but I love it,” Kendall said. “I’ve taken some very big hits, but you can’t do anything about it. As a quarterback, I got my lunch this year. It can get awfully scary out there sometimes.”

Kendall has already committed to play baseball for Coach Jim Dietz at San Diego State next year. It was probably the easiest recruiting job Dietz ever had because Mike is an Aztec pitcher.

“I’ll tell you right now that 75% of my decision was based on my brother,” Jason said. “We’re best friends; we’ve been close forever. If I have any problems, then he’ll be there for me.”

The Kendall brothers got a chance to play together at Torrance two years ago when Jason was a sophomore and Mike was a senior.

“I remember one game where I called a pitch and he didn’t want to throw it, and we wound up out there arguing with each other on the mound until Coach Phillips came out and broke it up,” Kendall said. “I’m surprised that kind of thing didn’t happen more often.”

Kendall said it is a tossup whether he will play college baseball next year or head to the minor leagues.

“It’s a dream of mine to play pro ball, and I may get there quicker if I go right to the minor leagues,” he said.

Fred will be managing the Chicago White Sox’ Class-A team in Utica, N.Y., this summer. When asked what he would do if he was drafted by the White Sox, Jason laughed.

“You know, I’ve thought about that possibility,” he said. “I’d love to play under my dad, but I guarantee you I’d have one heck of a time playing against him too.”