I think this Yastrzemski kid might be pretty good at baseball pic.twitter.com/LtO33pvJ66
— Christian D'Andrea (@TrainIsland) June 15, 2019
It goes down in the box score as Will Smith’s 18th save, but he wants there to be an asterisk.
“He gets the save today,” the Giants closer said of Mike Yastrzemski. “Just a great play. Playing the game the right way, playing hard. Laying out, making a catch for us is nice.”
Saturday’s wild matinee matchup at Oracle Park came down to the last out, the Giants twice mounting comebacks and giving Smith an 8-6 lead to work with in the ninth. A Christian Yelich home run halved that advantage, and a two-out Ryan Braun single brought fans to the edges of their seats. They were then fully sprung from those seats as Yasmani Grandal hit a lined shot to left-center. Yastrzemski got a good jump and extended, the ball settling in his outstretched glove, and the Giants had won their fourth straight.
“In that situation, we were going to be a little aggressive and try to make a play there,” said Yastrzemski, who was playing in his 18th big-league game. “And I knew that I had Duggey [Steven Duggar] behind me and that he would be there if I missed it, so there’s more confidence in the fact that, trust in the guy next to you if you miss it.”
Smith let out a fist-pump and thanked Yaz with a hug. It culminated a breakout game for the Giants (15 hits) and Yastrzemski (two), who also scored a run and walked.
He said he’d never had quite a catch like that to end a game.
“It’s a moment of relief because those last three outs are the hardest to get. And especially the last one,” the 28-year-old said. “When it finally ends and we solidify the ‘W,’ just take that deep breath and say all right, we’re good.”
Smith said it felt “amazing” to watch. Their manager was as effusive.
“What a catch by Yastrzemski,” Bruce Bochy said. “Great game to be a part of.”
For more Giants videos, click here.