“I know he’s going to get a ton of attention,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said Sunday (via the San Francisco Chronicle) in confirming the nod to baseball history. “I’m trying to imagine those fans, the memories they’ve had, what’s going to go through their minds when they see a Yastrzemski out there in the outfield.
“So I’m sure it’s an exciting time for Mike. He’s going to be out there every day, and I look forward to seeing how the fans react.”
The interleague series opens Tuesday night, and Mike Yastrzemski said his famous grandfather, 80, will attend one of the three games at Fenway.
“It’s special with the history of the game and my grandfather there,” the younger Yastrzemski said. “It’s going to be pretty emotional. I’ll try to contain that and make it feel like a regular game.”
Carl Yastrzemski played his entire 23-season MLB career (1961-83) with the Red Sox, accumulating 3,419 hits, 452 of them home runs, and earning 18 AL All-Star selections as he became a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
A left-handed hitter like his grandfather, Mike Yastrzemski, 29, is slashing .265/.324/.509 with 19 home runs and 51 RBIs in his rookie season.
