TORONTO — The story of how Pirates right-hander George Kontos came to know Toronto Blue Jays left-hander J.A. Happ, who will start Sunday against his former teammates at Rogers Centre, is a simple one. They pitched together at Northwestern University in 2004. How Kontos landed at Northwestern, however, is a longer and inarguably more compelling narrative.
“Northwestern was always my first choice,” Kontos said Saturday.
Why?
The story starts in 1966 when Kontos’ grandfather, also named George, moved his family from Sparta in Laconia, Greece, to New York City. After six months, they relocated to Chicago where George, the grandfather, secured a job as a custodian on Northwestern’s campus in Evanston, Ill.