CHICAGO — When the Red Sox re-signed Mike Napoli, A.J. Pierzynski was out of luck. The No. 12, which Pierzynski had worn his last nine seasons in the league, was taken.

“The next logical step,” Pierzynski said, “was to take my father’s number.”

Pierzynski’s “father” is Ken “Hawk” Harrelson, the former Red Sox player and broadcaster who’s been a fixture in the south side’s broadcast booth for a quarter-century. The two have known each other for just about that long, with Pierzynski growing up in Florida alongside Harrelson’s kids. Pierzynski’s wife, Lisa, was college roommates at Florida State with Harrelson’s daughter.

And so it was with Harrelson in mind that Pierzynski chose the No. 40, donned by Harrelson during his brief but memorable tenure with the Red Sox in the late 1960s. Signed by Boston late in 1967, Harrelson slugged 35 homers in ’68 before being surprisingly traded early in the ’69 season. To this day, he sports the ring from the Impossible Dream pennant season on his right hand.

“It’s like any father-son relationship,” said a smiling Paul Konerko, Pierzynski’s teammate with the White Sox for nine seasons. “They’re definitely cut from the same cloth — the flair for the dramatic, the style.”

“I love him like a second son,” Harrelson said. “I always have.”

Any conversation with Harrelson makes his affinity for Pierzynski, and the catcher’s style of play, abundantly clear.

“Are you going to dislike him? Yeah. Are you going to get [angry] at him? Yeah. Are you going to fight him? Yeah,” said Harrelson. “He wants to win. He’s an asset to every team he’s ever been on. Look at the record.”

“Hawk loves A.J.,” Konerko said. “Hawk wishes every player could play the game like A.J. A.J.’s a winner. I’ve played against him, I’ve played with him; he’s a guy you want on your side. He’s a tough guy. He’s going to show up every day. Hawk definitely likes those kinds of guys.”

Harrelson first saw Pierzynski play when the catcher was a sophomore in high school in Orlando. And, wouldn’t you know it, he was the same then as he is now.

“He was the most hated high school player in Orlando,” Harrelson said. “That’s really one of the greatest compliments that can be paid you, when everybody hates you. That means one thing: You’re beating them.”

Harrelson, who served as Chicago’s general manager in 1986 before returning to the booth, had tried to get the White Sox to draft Pierzynski out of high school in 1994. Chicago opted for a different catcher in Mark Johnson in the first round, then watched Pierzynski grow into a crucial component of a division rival in Minnesota. When Pierzynski was available after the Giants released him in 2004, Harrelson pushed then-GM Kenny Williams to make the move.

In Pierzynski’s first season on the south side, the White Sox ended an 88-year title drought.

Having an old family friend in Harrelson there made Pierzynski’s transition to Chicago much simpler.

“He was always there if I had any questions about anything. He was always there to help,” Pierzynski said. “One thing about Hawk, he cares. He genuinely cares about the team. It was nice to see a friendly face every day.”

Harrelson thinks Boston is a terrific fit for Pierzynski at this stage in his career.

“If A.J. had played his whole career in Boston, there’d be a statue of him out there,” Harrelson said, finding him another wise addition in line with the ones the Red Sox made after 2012. “Those guys are gamers. Now they complement [Dustin] Pedroia. It was an attitude thing. These guys bought into that last year, ergo world champions. It wasn’t because they were the most talented team. They had the will to win.”

Pierzynski first brought up the idea of wearing No. 40 in Harrelson’s honor while the pair were golfing over the winter. Harrelson made sure the catcher knew he’d be pleased.

“On the reverse side, if it had been me and him, I’d have done the same thing. I’d have worn No. 12,” said Harrelson. “There’s always been a connection there.”

On Twitter:  @TimBritton