Former Providence right-hander Kris Honel and his father, Mike , have gone through a lot together and are close, but even Mike didn’t know how long his son planned to stay on the mound.

Honel — a pitcher who was drafted in the first round, 16th overall, by the Chicago White Sox in 2001 — had Tommy John surgery in 2005 and never made it to the major leagues.

But after being away from the game for more than 10 years, he’s giving baseball another shot with the Beecher Muskies.

“I plan on pitching until I’m 50,” the 42-year-old Honel said before a July 31 pool-play game in the National Amateur Baseball Federation World Series. “As long as my arm and my body hold up, I’m going to pitch.”

Mike, who has seen the highs and lows of his son’s career, was surprised to hear that.

“He wants to

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