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Lucas Giolito honors late grandfather, 'Seinfeld' actor Warren Frost

Lucas Giolito (left) says goodbye to grandfather Warren Frost, who died Friday at age 91. (AP)
Lucas Giolito (left) says goodbye to grandfather Warren Frost, who died Friday at age 91. (AP)

Warren Frost, a veteran actor remembered most for his roles on “Twin Peaks” and “Seinfeld,” died on Friday. He was 91.

We mention that here, because Frost has a pretty notable connection to the baseball world.

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His grandson, Lucas Giolito, is currently in Arizona hoping to earn a spot in the Chicago White Sox starting rotation.

Giolito was the No. 16 overall pick of the Washington Nationals in the 2012 MLB Draft. He appeared in six games for Washington during the 2016 season, before being traded to Chicago this winter. During his career, he’s frequently used the Seinfeld theme as his warm up music in tribute to his grandfather. He was also quick to honor him with a remembrance following the news of his death.

Giolito grew up with Hollywood stars all around him. His father Rick Giolito and mother Lindsay Frost were both actors. His uncle, Mark Frost, is the co-creator of “Twin Peaks,” and another uncle, Scott Frost, is a highly regarded screen writer and novelist. His brother, Casey, is aspiring to follow in their footsteps. Then there was grandpa Warren, whose image will live forever after appearing in five Seinfeld episodes as Mr. Ross, the prospective father-in-law of George Costanza.

Lucas Giolito spoke of his family’s legacy in television in an article just this week on MLB.com. Oddly enough, he admitted that he’s never been a faithful Seinfeld viewer despite his grandfather’s memorable role. That’s left teammates stunned and Giolito outside the loop when some of the show’s iconic moments are referenced.

“Guys are always asking about my grandfather being on Seinfeld and everything, which is awesome,” Giolito said. “I know it’s one of the best sitcoms ever, but I haven’t seen enough of Seinfeld to get all the references.

“Reporters ask about it. Whenever a teammate or coach finds out, like [Cooper] asked me, I was talking with him on the phone, and he was like, ‘I think I read somewhere that it was your grandfather on Seinfeld,’ and I was like, ‘Yes he was.’ He was excited to hear that as a Seinfeld fan, as well.”

In the same piece, Giolito also explained why he was never interested in going into acting. He doesn’t have to explain it to us though. With a powerful right arm and an excellent array of pitches, he’s destined to be famous on a different stage.

Unfortunately, his grandfather won’t be here to watch him when he finally truly makes it, but we’re sure he already knew Giolito would do the family legacy proud.

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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!