The Men They Call Yaz: HOFer Carl from ESPN in 1980; SF Giant Mike On ESPN+ Thursday
Rookie Mike Yastrzemski leads his SF Giants into Boston on ESPN+ at 1:05 p.m. ET tomorrow; his Fenway HR on Tuesday stirred memories of his grandfather Carl talking to ESPN in the company's infancy, circa 1980
Fenway Park is home to a historic family reunion of sorts this week and ESPN+ will bring fans a chapter of it Thursday at 1:05 p.m. ET when the San Francisco Giants close a three-game series with the host Boston Red Sox.
Mike Yastrzemski, grandson of Red Sox great and Baseball Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski – the man they call Yaz – continued a family tradition in his Fenway playing debut Tuesday night. The Giants rookie outfielder homered – a feat his grandfather accomplished 237 times in that ballpark.
Grandfather Carl, who turned 80 on Aug. 22 – the day before Mike’s 29th birthday – reportedly watched Tuesday’s game on television. Before the game, the pair toured Fenway Park’s outfield to share notes on how to play the Green Monster.
In tribute to the Yastrzemskis, Front Row unearthed this still from a 1980s ESPN interview with Carl, who retired as a player in 1983 after 23 major league seasons.
He told then-ESPN reporter Sal Marchiano about adjustments he was making in his batting stance.
Legendary. #YAZ pic.twitter.com/UprRciDZT5
— San Francisco Giants (@SFGiants) September 17, 2019
