Another Yastrzemski patrols Fenway's left field



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BOSTON (AP) – For the first time in more than three decades, a "Yaz" patrolled the left field during a game played at Fenway Park.

Mike Yastrzemski of San Francisco, grandson of the Red Sox legend and Hall of Fame member Carl Yastrzemski, scampered there as the Giants faced the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday night.

Yastrzemski, 29, knew that the night would be special. His grandfather played in the final match of his career on October 2, 1983, in which he won seven gold gloves in front of the legendary Green Monster.

"For life," he told the media, sitting in the dugout about four-and-a-half hours before the match, when asked if he was considering playing his first match at Fenway. "It's always a dream to play here when you're a kid growing up in New England."

Before talking to the media, the younger and older Yaz was chatting together while walking in Fenway's outdoor field.

"It was great," said Mike. "We had the opportunity to catch up. Normally, I do not have the chance to see it during the season, so it's a bonus. "

Giants manager Bruce Bochy decided that it was appropriate to play on the left.

"He played a lot. To be honest, I wanted him to play on the left of the pitch tonight, "he said. "It will be a cool moment for a lot of people here. It's a great reminder of many things that his grandfather did and a special memory for people. "

He had a nice ovation when he managed to open the match.

Carl, who turned 80 in August, spent his entire 23-year career with the Red Sox. He retired in 1983 with 3,419 visits, including 452 tours and more than 1,800 RPCs. In 1967, he won the AL MVP after capturing the Triple Crown.

He was inducted into the room in 1989 and the Red Sox dedicated him a statue in front of the right field entrance in 2013.

Having grown up about 30 miles north of Fenway, Mike did not realize his grandfather's impact on Red Sox fans or the type of legend he was up to high school.

"I was probably in the middle of high school; 15, 16 when I started to understand what he had done was so special and his career, "he said. "When I turned 23, it was a bit of a shocking moment that he spent his whole life at Fenway Park every day. This kind of fact has even hit the mind. "

So, what's the newest Yaz learned from his grandfather playing left?

"His advice is this: take balls in BP because no fungo will simulate the ball that will be hit live if it is hit by this wall," he said.

And what other advice did he get?

"Do not be different from the one who brought me here," he said.

Mike played in the Baltimore organization for six years before moving to San Francisco in March. He entered the night beating .265 with 19 homers and 51 RBIs.

He knows he will have many memories of his first match at Fenway.

"It's the best," he said. "Everyone dreams of going home and playing in his hometown. Being here and doing this trip is special.

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