Baseball truly has been a game for a lifetime for Jim Kaat.

More than 54 years after Kaat made his Major League debut with the Washington Senators as a young 20-year-old pitcher in 1959, he still is on center stage. Today, he will join Bob Costas on the call for Game 2 of the Pittsburgh-St. Louis series (MLB Network, 1 p.m.). He also is slated to work another game Monday for MLB Network.

Kaat always has been one of my favorites. As a pitcher, he won 283 games, and as I wrote earlier, nobody worked faster.

Kaat then made the transition to the broadcast booth, working for the networks and the Yankees. And he’s still working and loving the game at the age of 74.

“I didn’t think I’d be doing it at 64,” Kaat said. “The fun part for me is reconnecting with everyone. I knew John Farrell when he was a sophomore at Oklahoma State. I know Mike Matheny was coached by Bill Freehan. I remember Clint Hurdle as the cover boy for Sports Illustrated when he was with the Royals.

“When I walk in the locker room, a lot of the current players don’t know that I played. So reconnecting and being around the conversation, to me, that’s stimulating and enjoyable.”

Like many players of his generation, Kaat isn’t a big fan of the modern emphasis on stats. In his view, nothing beats boots-on-the-ground reporting.

“In today’s baseball, you sift through so much meaningless information,” Kaat said. “Like what a guy hits in day games when his wife is out of town. Stuff like that. The challenge for me is to pare it down to meaningful information that the fans find on the Internet or MLB Network. You find those things out just before the game when you’re talking to the players and coaches.”

Who are Kaat’s favorite pitchers today? Naturally, the guys who work quickly and throw strikes.

“I prefer the guys who changes speeds and don’t just try to overpower the hitters,” Kaat said. “Kershaw, of course. I enjoy watching Kris Medlen of the Braves. Tampa Bay has a number of guys who do that. Cole Hammels. Cliff Lee is the gold standard of pitching like we did. Working fast and throwing strikes.”