Mike Yastrzemski Has Dream Moment in Braves Walk-Off Win Over Red Sox

When he’s dialed in, Mike is nearly unstoppable. He delivered for the Atlanta Braves yet again on Friday night to secure a walk-off win against the Boston Red Sox, 3-2.

With Ha-Seong Kim on second base as the ghost runner to lead off the bottom of the tenth, Yastrzemski lined a screaming double to left field to give Kim plenty of time to round third and head home. It was his seventh career walk-off, and it’s the third walk-off win for the team this season.

It couldn’t have come from a more fitting ballplayer, knowing the two teams that are going head-to-head. His grandfather, Carl, is a Hall of Famer who spent all 23 seasons of his career with the Red Sox.

On top of that, his father played in the Braves system back in the 1980s, and he grew up with the influence of the team around him. Having a moment involving two teams close to your heart is special.

“So fired up that that’s the way it ended,” he said after the game. “Couldn’t be more excited.”

The moment wasn’t supposed to even happen. He was supposed to bunt Kim to third base and set up Mauricio Dubón.

"I went up to him before the inning started, and I said, Man, you went to Vandy. You got to be able to bunt. That's all you guys do," manager Walt Weiss said.

That didn’t quite go as planned. The bunt had good form, upon Weiss' reflection, but Yastrzemski sent it foul. When he found himself in a two-strike count, he seized the moment to swing away.

A well-formed bunt that didn't go his way set up a dream moment. That’s when you know a moment is meant to be.

After a month of watching him struggle to find his way, everything has clicked in a big way. He has driven in at least one run in three of his last four games.

He hit his first home run of the season on Tuesday, tallying three of the Braves’ four runs that night. He smacked the go-ahead double Wednesday night, and now he has the walk-off.

“Trying to take it as confidence, too, though, you know, as I talk about, you know, getting better at certain things, it's also a big confidence boost, you know, having a good bat against a lefty. Tough lefty. Um, you know, maybe squaring around, helped me see the ball a little better, so, uh, you know, but it was one of those moments where, walking back to the plate after fouling off the second one, it's like, Hey, like, it's time to buckle up, and you gotta, you gotta do something now.”

During this scorching stretch, Yastrzemski is 4-for-7 with three extra-base hits and five RBIs. He’s looking much closer to that version of himself from spring training that built up the hype of his arrival this season.

The Braves took a 2-0 lead on the back of solo shots by Drake Baldwin and Michael Harris II. However, the Red Sox were able to muster a couple of runs late in the game, forcing extra innings. It set up the dream moment for Yastrzemski.

Now, the page turns to Saturday. Another series-opening win at home is in the books, and they have yet another opportunity to win a series. Bryce Elder is back on the mound for a 7:15 p.m. first pitch.

Sign up for our free newsletter for the latest Atlanta Braves news

Add us as a preferred source on Google