Mike Yaz homers at Fenway after visit from Hall of Fame grandfather; Giants beat Red Sox 3-1

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This article was published 02/05/2024 (538 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

BOSTON (AP) — Mike Yastrzemski had a visit from his grandfather Carl and then homered into the Red Sox bullpen like the Hall of Fame outfielder so often did in his heyday, and the San Francisco Giants beat Boston 3-1 on Thursday.

Ryan Walker (3-2) pitched a perfect sixth inning to help the Giants avoid the sweep and snap Boston’s four-game winning streak. Camilo Doval pitched the ninth for his sixth save.

“Six hits. Scratched three runs out of it today, but there’s still more out there,” said Giants manager Bob Melvin, whose team had just 15 hits in the three-game series. “But when you win a game you don’t really concern yourselves with that. It’s when we’re losing games and not get many hits and not scoring many runs. Did enough today.”

Tyler O’Neill walked twice and hit a wall-scraping popup to drive in Boston’s only run.

Carl Yastrzemski visited his grandson in the visitor’s clubhouse before the game, but did not stay to see Mike come up in the third inning of a scoreless, hitless game and line a 1-1 pitch from Josh Winckowski over the short wall in right field. Although there were plenty of Giants fans in the crowd for the team’s first trip to Boston in five years, even the Red Sox fans stood and cheered for the opponent with the familiar last name.

The Red Sox tied it in the bottom half when O’Neill doubled off the Green Monster and Rafael Devers came around from first base to score. But San Francisco went ahead in the seventh on three straight singles that chased Zack Kelly (0-1), and then made it 3-1 on Nick Ahmed’s sacrifice fly.

The elder Yastrzemski hit 237 of his 452 career homers at Fenway Park during a 23-year career as the Red Sox left fielder. Mike now has two of his 90 career homers in six interleague games at the ballpark.

GOOD AND BAD

The Red Sox loaded the bases in the first on two walks and a hit batter, but Giants starter Kyle Harrison got Garrett Cooper to fly out to end the inning. Harrison allowed one run and three hits in five innings, striking out seven and walking five.

Giants center fielder Jung Hoo Lee lost Ceddanne Rafaela’s high fly ball in the sun in the fourth inning, allowing it to fall in for a double. But Harrison got Bobby Dalbec on a grounder to second.

In the fourth, Lee came in to make a diving catch of Jarren Duran’s sinking liner, saving a run in a 1-1 game.

“I’ve never played outfield in the big leagues, so I’m not one to speak on it. But at that time, in that situation, I needed to get that last guy out,” Harrison said. “I didn’t make the best pitch, and Jung Hoo picked me up in the outfield. I was fired up.”

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Giants: Head to Philadelphia for four games, with RHP Jordan Hicks (2-0) starting against RHP Aaron Nola (4-1) on Friday.

Red Sox: Travel to Minnesota for a three-game series starting Friday. RHP Tanner Houck (3-2) will face RHP Chris Paddack (2-1).

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AP MLB: https://www.apnews.com/MLB