KANSAS CITY -- Phillies third-base coach Dusty Wathan practically grew up at Kauffman Stadium, the son of former Royals catcher and manager John Wathan.

Dusty Wathan played catch with George Brett, Bo Jackson and Bret Saberhagen as a kid.

But Friday marked the first time Dusty Wathan returned to Kauffman Stadium since 2002, when he had a brief September callup with the Royals and recorded his first Major League hit, a double. Wathan never reached the Majors again after that month.

On Friday before the Royals-Phillies game, father and son sat down to share their memories.

Dusty on getting his first MLB hit at The K:

“It was a great opportunity. It was fun, growing up here in Kansas City. The disappointing thing was my wife and oldest daughter couldn't make it because [my wife] was about 7 or 8 months pregnant with the second one. To be able to get your first hit in a stadium where you grew up and watched your dad play was really special."

John, now a special assistant for player development for the Royals, on which team he would be rooting for:

"The Royals are paying me, so that's kind of self-explanatory. I told [Phillies manager] Gabe Kapler, 'Good luck as soon as you leave town.'"

John on Dusty’s third-base coaching talents:

“I'm watching their games all the time. It looks like he does a pretty good job. Funny story, when he was a kid, 7 or 8 years old, he pestered the hell out of every scout back there, asking them questions about baseball. I kind of knew where he was heading with his life at an early age. It has been fun. As soon as I saw that the Phillies were going to be in here for Mother's Day, I was very happy for my wife and for our whole family."

Dusty on his best memories of Kansas City:

"At the time, there were some great teams and great guys. It was a different era. We'd have guys coming over to the house after games. There was a lot more camaraderie. Guys rooming together on the road. So, a lot of us lived in the same area in Blue Springs and the kids played on the same teams together. At one time, we had six or seven Royals kids together on one team.

“I remember just running around the ballpark. I'd come to the ballpark and I might not see [my dad] until the game was over. Running around, sitting around in the upper deck, trying to catch foul balls, hitting in the cage. It was like a playground."

Dusty on his favorite players back then:

"George [Brett] was probably the biggest one. [My dad and Brett] roomed together in Spring Training for years. He'd come over Thanksgiving. George was single and would come over. Then he could just walk away and not have to deal with the kids. It was fun times, a lot of good guys."

On the famous time Brett babysat for the Wathan kids:

Dusty: "We were watching ‘The Jerk’. Not appropriate for a 7- and 4-year-old at the time. And George was sleeping. "

John: “So my kids were babysitting George, really.”

John on what advice he gave Dusty growing up:

"The biggest thing I told all our kids was, 'Don’t play baseball for me. Play the violin, be a doctor or a plumber, but whatever you do, you've got to have passion for it.' The only time I would ever work with them was if they asked me. I grew up around kids who had fathers who really pushed them. I never wanted them to do it for me.

"I never talked too much to him about coaching. I know he knows more than I do now, because analytics are way over my head. I'm really proud of what he has done with his career. To play 14 years in the Minors as a non-drafted player, that doesn't happen very often. To manage for 10 years and finally get the shot at the big leagues after 24 or 25 years, I'm really proud of what he has done."

Dusty on his desire to manage in the Majors:

"Oh yeah, I think so. You always want that next level when you manage. Hopefully, I will get a shot. It's a lot like playing. Sometimes you find the right place at the right time. Hopefully, that comes to fruition one day. But right now, I'm in a pretty good place."