Giants outfielder Mike Yastrzemski makes himself at home at Fenway Park

BOSTON — Grandfather and grandson walked toward the Green Monster early Tuesday afternoon at Fenway Park, strolling through one of the most famous pieces of real estate in the city.

Carl Yastrzemski knows that particular patch of green grass as well as any man dead or alive. He played at least one game in left field for the Red Sox in 21 of his 23 seasons with the club, a Hall of Fame career that included a Triple Crown, a Most Valuable Player Award and 18 appearances with [...]

BOSTON — Grandfather and grandson walked toward the Green Monster early Tuesday afternoon at Fenway Park, strolling through one of the most famous pieces of real estate in the city.

Carl Yastrzemski knows that particular patch of green grass as well as any man dead or alive. He played at least one game in left field for the Red Sox in 21 of his 23 seasons with the club, a Hall of Fame career that included a Triple Crown, a Most Valuable Player Award and 18 appearances with the American League in the All-Star Game. Yastrzemski’s last time there in uniform under the sunshine came on the final afternoon of his career, that fabled Sunday in October 1983.

Mike Yastrzemski was the newcomer in the state where he grew up. The 29-year-old recalls being in the stands for World Series games and the All-Star Game festivities in 1999, a Boston fan to his core. This night promised a different viewpoint entirely.

The younger Yastrzemski batted leadoff and played left field for the Giants in his first professional game at this ballpark. His winding road back home included a college career at Vanderbilt and 703 games in the minor leagues, most of those spent marooned in the Orioles organization. It wasn’t until a March trade from Baltimore to San Francisco for right-handed pitcher Tyler Herb where Yastrzemski found himself on the big league radar.

“I think through the long journey I’ve had to get here, I’ve started to understand which things are important and which aren’t,” Yastrzemski said. “I can keep focused on those things that have really grown to matter and the story that needs to unfold here.”

Yastrzemski entered the left-handed batter’s box to warm applause from the crowd on hand. He carried with him 19 home runs, 17 doubles and an .833 OPS through his first 96 games with the Giants. Yastrzemski made his debut with San Francisco on May 15 – his grandfather played his first game with Boston on April 11, 1961.

“He played 700-something games in the minors and always kept telling me he would make it some day,” Carl Yastrzemski said. “It’s finally come true for him.”

Mike Yastrzemski starred at St. John’s Prep (Mass.) and was drafted by the Red Sox in 2009 before honoring his commitment to the Commodores. It was early in his high school days where Yastrzemski said he finally came to realize just how much of an icon his grandfather is in Boston sports. The retired No. 8 hanging from the façade in right field gained some extra significance to a teenager who grew up cheering for Pedro Martinez, Nomar Garciaparra and Manny Ramirez.

“When I turned 23, that was kind of the big shocking moment – my entire life, he had showed up to Fenway Park every day,” Yastrzemski said. “That kind of blew my mind. I was like, ‘I can’t picture 23 years worth of the Major League Baseball experience.’”

Yastrzemski hit just 10 home runs across two levels with the Orioles last season, nine of those coming in 94 games with Triple-A Norfolk. He cracked 12 in just 40 games with Triple-A Sacramento and turned that blistering start into his first promotion to the big leagues. Only veteran outfielder Kevin Pillar’s 21 homers eclipsed Yastrzemski’s total with San Francisco to date in 2019.

“I think the manager (Dave Brundage) and the hitting coach (Damon Minor) at Sacramento did a great job with him,” Carl Yastrzemski said. “I know he’s very happy with them. I think that helped him out a lot.”

The story hinged on fairytale well before the top of the fourth inning Tuesday, and it crossed the threshold on one swing. Mike Yastrzemski took a 3-and-1 pitch from Nathan Eovaldi and drove it to deep center, a solo home run that gave the Giants a 5-1 lead. Yastrzemski enjoyed a slow trot around the bases and crossed the plate to a loud ovation.

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“Throughout the history of this game there have been a lot of families, generations who have made an impact on the game,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “A lot of people who saw Yaz playing here – some of you guys covered it. To see the kid playing out there in front of that wall is going to bring some memories and is going to take you to some special places.”

Mike Yastrzemski expected a host of family and friends in the stands Monday, including his mother, Anne-Marie. He handed off ticket purchase and distribution duties to a close cousin and attempted to focus on the upcoming series. Yastrzemski declined to guess how many personal fans in the stands he might have over these three special days.

“He did a great job organizing everything and making sure I wasn’t the one dealing with it,” Yastrzemski said. “I would have lost money on this trip for sure. Instead of being paid to play I would be paying to play.

“I guess when you have the experience at home it’s worth it.”

bkoch@providencejournal.com

On Twitter: @BillKoch25