This is the great thing which sets Red Sox fans and Yankee fans apart from the rest of MLB: They show respect like no other cities, because they are the smartest and most respectful fans.
13
What a great story! It cements my love for baseball.
3
This is why baseball can be so magical; it's played by generations. So many father/son players in the major leagues. This time it's a grandfather/grandson, but it's still magical.
6
In 1983 My six year old son and I saw Yaz play his last game in CLE at the old municipal stadium.
1
@adara614
Oops!
It was nis next to last game but hit his last HR at the old barn.
But CLE won 8-6.
1
Actually the Boston crowd did give Mike two standing ovations, and he expressed appreciation for of the home crowd support.
5
truly a great sports moment !
1
Carl Yaztremski was the only player to repeatedly refuse to give my kids an autograph. So I don't care much if at all about his grandson.
2
@Mickeyd
You ever meet Roger Clemens? My little brother has a personalized autograph photo signed by Yaz and Teddy ballgame.
1
New England fans are small-world homers, and chauvinistic ones at that...
3
As a Giants fan, I was determined not to miss yesterday's game. I was hoping that Mike would be in the lineup, and Boch, who is a classy guy and knew the significance, made sure to have Mike in the game. His homer was a stunning moment. No question that as the Giants rebuild he should be part of the team. If he's not, there will be some angry fans!
4
@JLD
We'll take him! We gotta rebuild as well...
2
My grandfather was a great cantor in Hungary. I have maybe the most horrible voice in all of Manhattan. If even for a day I could sing like him I would hope everyone would be very happy for me.
6
I will root for a Yastrzemski in any uniform.
6
I am a life long Dodger fan living in the Bay area. You know what Dodger fans think of the Giants. I watched this game last night and it nearly brought me to tears. This young man is a jewel. He struggled for years in the minors.On top of that he had to fight the pressure of his famous grandfather and the expectations that brings. And losing his father at a early age. He hustles. He takes nothing for granted. He is humble. He will probably never be an All Star. He won't win the Triple Crown. But he is a grinder, a gamer. We naturally celebrate the more spectacular players. But teams need players like Yaz too. Great story.
12
@KJ Peters
As a lifelong Giants fan who lived in LA for five years, I know exactly how you feel. But I remember with great fondness the standing ovation that Willie McCovey got in Dodger Stadium on the occasion of his last game (I was lucky enough to be there), as well as the send-off that Giants fans gave Tommy Lasorda. Sure, that was mainly a chorus of boos, but they were "boos" of love and joy and respect. Seriously.
Let's face it, that's why we love baseball.
5
Yes!
3
I love baseball and Mr. Kepner's writing.
I wish he had told us if this is a very unique season in that at least three youngsters come from great father's air grandfather's.
And they are all playing in MLB this season - Yaz, Guerrero and Biggio.
As a definitely not a Red six or Yankees fan - I think a comment below about their fans - seem slightly exaggerated.
4
I moved to SF in 2010, just before the Giants won the World Series. I wasn’t really a baseball fan before that, but have since fallen in love with the game. Stories like this, and players like Yas, are what keep me tuned in throughout the season. The legacy, the triumph of players who claw their way out of the minors, storied managers like Bochy. I love the Giants and I love baseball.
5
Great article, great story but also a touch of sadness that Mike’s father, Carl’s son couldn’t be there to witness it also. I really enjoyed that article. Thank you Tyler Kepner.
16
I love baseball.
Legacies are one part, and this has been a good year. Watch a Toronto Blue Jays game and watch Biggio and Guerrero. But a grandson, that is extra sweet.
9
Watched the ENTIRE game, from the walk-about with Granddad and The Boy, called a friend in Maine when he hit the homer and then watched til my eyes bled as the Giants took the win.
But the glow still remains when I remember the cheers of the Boston fans as he hit his homer. Classy.
Boston Strong!
16
The 2019 Giants season has been, on the whole, a losing one - yet full of the kind of human, sweet or bittersweet, stories that make you fall in love again with baseball. And everyone who is a Giants’ fan is in love with Yaz. He carries the weight of his famous last name with maturity, and in every game he plays makes a notable contribution. So he’s no Pete Alonso, but 20 rookie HRs for this power-deprived team is something to celebrate!
His HR at Fenway was a wonderful, only-in-baseball moment. As brief as his tenure has been, he has already earned the fond moniker, a “Forever Giant”.
11
As a Sox fan since big Yaz was in his prime--we kids all imitated his batting stance and swing when we played pick-up games--I tuned in last night especially to see little Yaz, and he certainly delivered.
If he can keep it up, maybe a Little Yaz Bread marketing opportunity will follow.
5
These are supposed to be knowledgeable baseball fans that we dilletant West Coasters are required to be awed by? And they didn't give Yaz's grandson a standing O and a curtain call in an otherwise meaningless game? I'm not a crier, but I would be a little bit misty.
8
@runaway
59-year-old (today), lifelong Sox fan for whom Carl Yastrzemski was one of my baseball idols (one of the worst days as a kid was when another neighborhood kid broke my 28 ounce Louisville Slugger with Yaz's branded signature on the barrel. I demanded $2 for the damage, and 50 years later I have yet to see the funds.)
I sat 20 rows behind home plate last night at Fenway and many knowledgeable fans including many my age, stood and applauded when Mike was introduced to lead off the game. We then stood and cheered when he homered.
In this lost Red Sox season, it most definitely was a highlight for me. I even heard suggested murmurs of trading Jackie Bradley Jr. straight up for Mike as Mike has better offensive numbers than JBJ.
Believe me, Mike was treated with appropriate respect by knowledgeable fans in attendance. We know important moments when we see them, and the kid's success, without his Dad there, but his Hall of Fame grandfather watching was a moment to treasure.
23
As a lifelong Red Sox fan, I was cheering for him and, honestly, I was hoping that the crowd would ask for a curtain call after the home run. But, then again, most in the seats probably don't remember his father. I would've cheered for him even if the Sox were contending for a playoff spot. The NESN TV announcers seemed caught in the middle. Dennis Eckersley, former Sox pitcher and color man, cheered unabashedly for the young Yastrzemski, but Jerry Remy and Dave O'Brien were self-conscious homers. The best part was watching Carl and Mike walk together in left field prior to the game. I'm sure the elder Yastrzemski pointed out all of the dead spots on the wall.
22
@AlNewman Carl was his grandfather, not his father. How quickly time passes eh?
2
Mt first trip to Fenway with my Dad and siblings was August, 1967. That was all it took . My “Impossible Dream “ LP with the “Yaz” song is still a treasure. Huge thanks to the Yastrzemski Family for bringing great joy to New England. They will always be celebrated and beloved.
Another New Englander (C. Lewandowski ) brought shame on the same day. He will see justice and then be forgotten.
30
@Katherine Surman- My wife had the DJ play the Yaz song at our wedding reception.
6
I used to go to Red Sox games when I visited relatives in Boston in the 1970s, before Mike was even born.
Now I get to see his grandson on the Giants.
I get a huge grin on my face every time I think about it.
19
I saw his Carl Yastrzemski hit many home runs at Fenway, especially in 1967, my freshman year at Boston University. Glad to see Mike pick things right up there. If he turns out to be half the major leaguer his grandfather was, he'll do quite all right!
14
I sat in the bleachers for game 2 of the 67 World Series and watched Captain Carl and the Sox. It was an “Impossible Year” they called it at Fenway and I was a lucky 15 year old to be a part of it!
13