Reds' Luke Farrell, son of Red Sox skipper John, faces dad's team

It was a family affair at Great American Ball Park.

Cincinnati Reds reliever Luke Farrell entered Saturday's game in the ninth inning to face the Boston Red Sox, who happen to be managed by his dad, John Farrell.

It marked the first time since 2004 that a player faced his dad's team. Moises and Felipe Alou were the last to do it, when son Moises was an outfielder with the Cubs and Felipe managed the Giants (Felipe also managed Moises in both San Francisco and Montreal). Luke became the first pitcher to face a team managed by his dad in baseball history, according to Elias Sports.

Father and son got a chance to catch up before the series thanks to a Thursday off day, according to Ian Browne of MLB.com.

Luke won some bragging rights at this year's Thanksgiving dinner by shutting down his dad's squad with a scoreless ninth inning. But since John's October-bound Red Sox were en route to a 5-0 victory at the time, he'll probably get the last laugh.

Still, the 55-year-old skipper was briefly able to play the role of proud papa thanks to the score, giving Luke a little tip of the cap and smile as he walked off the mound.

"There was a lot of internal conflict going on," John told reporters postgame, according to The Sports Xchange's Jeff Wallner. "It was a proud day."

"A little added pressure for sure," Luke said of pitching against his dad's team, per FOX Sports Ohio. "I believe that's the first time we've been on the field together.

"You want to do well for your team obviously, but with your dad right there you want to do a little bit better."

Luke made his major-league debut with the Royals in July, a game John attended with permission from the Red Sox. Since then, Luke has had a bit of a round-about season, having pitched in the Royals, Dodgers, and Reds organizations while appearing at the big-league level with Kansas City and Cincinnati. The 26-year-old owns a 6.75 ERA in 10 2/3 innings this year.