Yastrzemski Family Values
Yaz may be one of the most underappreciated players in Red Sox history
Carl Yastrzemski’s grandson Mike hit a walk off double to beat the Red Sox last night in Atlanta. I’m sure Carl was smiling from his home in Boxford. Carl was one of the greatest players in Red Sox history, but today’s generation of fans probably doesn’t realize just how great he was.
Carl’s career in the big leagues began in 1961. He took over left field with massive shoes to fill. Ted Williams had just retired the year before. His first two seasons were good, but in 1963 he led the AL in batting average, hits, walks, and doubles. In 1967 he was the best hitter in baseball, winning the triple crown and leading in just about every offensive category. He was also an excellent left fielder. He is 7th all-time in Fielding Runs Above Average and 2nd all-time for left fielders.
Not many Red Sox fans alive today remember the 1967 Impossible Dream team. They turned a 72-90 record from the previous year into a 92-70 finish and a trip to the World Series, which they lost in 7 games to the Cardinals. Yaz won the MVP and a gold glove. Over 23 seasons, Yaz was an All-Star 18 times, including in his age 42 and 43 seasons. He received MVP votes 14 times and won 6 gold gloves.
My first experience with Yaz was in the mid-70s when he mostly played first base and DH. He was still an effective hitter and fan favorite. He hit 21 homers and drove in 87 runs in his age 39 season. In the two World Series he played in, he hit .400 in 1967 and .350 in 1975. As with all great Red Sox left-handed hitters, he had power to the opposite field. He played his entire career with the Red Sox and slashed .306/.402/.503/.904 at Fenway Park. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989.
Carl’s son Carl, Jr. (known as Mike) played baseball in the minor leagues but died tragically in 2004 due to complications from surgery. His son Mike was 14 at the time. Mike went on to play baseball at Vanderbilt and was drafted by the Orioles. He finally broke into the majors in 2019 with the Giants. On September 17th of that year he made his Fenway Park debut, hitting a solo shot to center field. The next day, Carl came to the park for a ceremonial first pitch and there wasn’t a dry eye in the house.
Mike has been an average player during his 8-year career with an OPS of .764, but he has done very well in 16 games against the Red Sox, slashing .298/.377/.617/.994. In addition to that, he’s played 9 games at Fenway Park and has slashed .357/.419/.714/1.134. Last night he showed that inside-out swing of his grandad’s, shooting a double into the left center gap to score the winning run.
Would Mike have been a good player for the Red Sox? If you look at some of the outfielders the Red Sox have run out there since 2019, I think he might have been. Would he have been a great Fenway Park hitter? We can only speculate. Some of that Yaz magic might have rubbed off on him. Regardless, I can’t help but root for Mike Yastrzemski, even when he is beating the Red Sox like a drum.