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Perth Heat marquee signing Josh Reddick reveals WA links, friendship with local baseball icon Luke Hughes

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Ben SmithThe West Australian
Josh Reddick has signed with the Perth Heat.
Camera IconJosh Reddick has signed with the Perth Heat. Credit: Elsa/Getty Images

Perth Heat marquee signing Josh Reddick has a personal link to his new home - and fans can thank WA baseball legend Luke Hughes for his arrival.

Reddick, a 12-year Major League Baseball veteran and 2017 World Series winner, has revealed Hughes was pivotal to him signing with the Heat for the 2022-23 Australian Baseball League season.

Reddick’s wife Georgette previously lived in Perth for three years and is also close friends with Hughes’ wife Jenna, with the pair helping convince him to join the Heat.

Hughes and Reddick crossed paths on the diamond during the West Australian’s time as a Minnesota Twin, around the same time Reddick began his MLB career with the Boston Red Sox.

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When the Heat presented an offer, Reddick said the Hughes family’s ties to Perth sealed the deal.

“Luke and I have talked a good bit over the years and then with having my wife and Jenna be so close, I think we got a really good idea even before I had the offer, because this was always something I wanted to do,” he said.

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Homeward bound: Luke Hughes rounds the bases after starting his Major League career with a home run.  Picture: Associated Press
Camera IconWA’s Luke Hughes played a key role in convincing Josh Reddick to join the Perth Heat. Associated Press Credit: Duane Burleson/AP

“Just having that connection and in getting them to suggest where to go and having them close was a big factor.

“Being able to play in a really good city that they told me so much about, to be able to have that experience and just have friends close by, I think that was probably more of the leading factor than anything.”

After a two-year stint with Boston, Reddick spent four years with the Oakland Athletics before moving to the Houston Astros, where he won a World Series, and rounded out his major league career with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The 2012 Gold Glove winner will arrive in Perth as one of the biggest signings in ABL history, but said he was ready to embrace the pressure and do it while having fun.

“I don’t think it’ll be a very big pressure situation because it’s baseball; it’s something I’ve played since I was five, six year-old and I’ve been very fortunate to have been in a lot of playoff games and on a lot of good baseball teams to have learned how to handle those big pressure situations,” he said.

PHOENIX, ARIZONA - JUNE 01: Josh Reddick #22 of the Arizona Diamondbacks prepares for a game against the New York Mets at Chase Field on June 01, 2021 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images)
Camera IconJosh Reddick spent time at the Arizona Diamondbacks. Credit: Norm Hall/Getty Images

“It’s going to be a lot of fun just being able to be that high profile player. I’m gonna try not to walk around like my chest is puffed up or my head’s too inflated because it is still baseball and I’m there to win.

“I gotta go out there, put my pants on one leg at a time like everybody else and just be the best baseball player that I can be.”

While he may want to have fun, Reddick was blunt about wanting to add to the Heat’s trophy cabinet.

“You can never have enough championships on your shelf and we’re looking to add one more to that count,” he said.

“I look really forward to playing in front of all of them and can’t wait for the reception we’re going to have and hopefully I get to meet as many of them as possible.”

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