Warriors: Team unveils SportingGreen new jersey for new home B2 SanFrancisco Chronicle and SFChronicle.com | Wednesday, September 18, 2019 | Section B xxxxx

A’S 2, ROYALS 1 GIANTS 7, RED SOX 6 Olson’s big blast blast for Yaz launches Oakland

By Susan Slusser

Normally, with Brett An­ derson buzzing along with only 66 pitches through five innings, he’d be back out for the sixth in a one­run game. Instead, the A’s signaled clear­ ly Tuesday that “piggyback­ ing” is the new opener. The previous Wednesday, Anderson went five innings before Jesús Luzardomade his big­league debut and An­ derson joked he was just Lu­ zardo’s “caddie.” In the A’s 2­1 victory Tues­ day, Anderson caddied for Oakland’s other top pitching prospect, A.J. Puk, who got the win thanks to a mammoth game­tying blast by Matt Ol­ son and a go­ahead double by Seth Brown in the seventh. With the win, the A’s re­ duced their magic number for a playoff spot to nine; they held a 1½ game lead temporar­ ily over Tampa Bay, which was still playing Tuesday night, and 2½ games over Cleveland. On a cold night at the Coli­ Kathryn Riley / Getty Images seum, Olson connected on a Left fielder returns to the Giants’ dugout after hitting a solo in the fourth inning at . shot that hit above the suites in center field, a titanic drive that made Kansas City starter hits storybook homer in Fenway Park debut Jorge Lopez flail in frustration and had Olson’s teammates By Henry Schulman beaming in the dugout at its improbability. Statcast mea­ BOSTON — , looking sured the blast at 450 feet, more like an average Joe in a red wind­ which seemed, if anything, breaker than a Hall of Famer, stood in stingy. front of the visiting dugout at Fenway A’scontinues on B7 Park on Tuesday and said he knew his grandson Mike had the goods to be a major­leaguer. Only one thing surprised the longtime 49ers’ Ford Red Sox left fielder, who said, “I didn’t expect all this power.” still dealing On cue, in his first game at the park, he cherished as a child, Mike Yastrzemski provided that rare moment that matches with knee the hype. He blasted a 96­mph fastball from Nathan Eovaldi over the center­field tendinitis fence for a you’ve­got­to­be­kidding home run in the fourth inning that even Red By Eric Branch Sox fans had to cheer. Yastrzemski’s 20th of the season gave The injury suffered by the the Giants a 5­1 lead, which they blew in a 49ers’ Pro Bowl offensive line­ marathon that ended in the 15th inning, man Sunday overshadowed the just after 1 a.m. EDT, with San Francisco injury suffered by their Pro winning 7­6. Bowl defensive lineman. Pinch­hitter hit a one­ Before left tackle Joe Staley out sacrifice fly to score , exited late in the third quarter of Andy Kuno / who hit a bloop double and advanced on a a41­17 win in Cincinnati with a Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski walks with grandson Mike in front of the Green Trevor Kelley wild pitch. broken fibula, pass rusher Dee Monster before the Giants’ rookie made his debut at Fenway Park. Giantscontinues on B5 Ford was done after halftime because of knee tendinitis that sidelined him for 27 days this summer. On Monday, head coach Kyle ’s blessing, curse: time, numbers Shanahan said Ford was “still hurting” and his ability to prac­ tice Wednesday would “defi­ For more than a century, ment expires after the 2021 factors irrelevant. With balls nitely be in question.” baseball took pride in its sin­ season), and plenty of opti­ flying out of the parks at a The question of Ford’s health gular blend of the pastoral BRUCE mism surrounded the reduc­ ridiculous rate, innings have is significant: In March, the and the scientific. Time never JENKINS tion of mound visits, the in­ grown longer and the amount 49ers acquired him to bolster seemed to matter, and a very tentional walk without pitch­ of pitching changes has be­ their feeble pass rush by trading traditional set of numbers es, and reminders from um­ come over­the­top intolerable. asecond­round pick to Kansas bound the generations. pires to keep hitters and Nobody’s admitting to spe­ City and signing Ford to a five­ It’s a shame those days are pitchers from wasting time. cifics on why the ball is trav­ year deal worth a maximum of gone. Behold the results: eling so much farther this 49erscontinues on B3 has completely botched its er Rob Manfred seemed ob­ Through Sunday, the average year, but it’s undeniable. attempt to shorten the games, sessed with game times. Tele­ MLB game time was 3:09. Couldn’t be more obvious, and the landscape of statistics vision’s between­inning Longest in history when com­ especially in the minors, in 1 Help wanted: 49ers bring in is littered with confusion and breaks were shortened, sup­ pared to season­ending fig­ whichTriple­A teams aban­ tackle Sam Young for a look. B3 distrust. port gathered behind pitch ures. doned balls manufactured in 1 Raiders: Without Antonio If you recall the spring clocks (probably not until the To great extent, the juiced China and switched to the Brown, receivers need help. B3 training climate, Commission­ collective bargaining agree­ ball has rendered all other Jenkins continues on B7

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ON Wednesday Thursday Friday Online GIANTS DECK at Red Sox, 4:10 p.m. NBCSBA at Red Sox, 10:05 a.m. NBCSBA at Braves, 4:20 p.m. NBCSBA For additional coverage, go to Samardzija (10-12) vs. Chacín (3-0) Bumgarner (9-8) vs. Rodriguez (17-6) Beede (5-9) vs. Foltynewicz (7-5) www.sfchronicle.com/sports/giants Yastrzemski has blast in his Boston debut

Giantsfrom page B1

The Giants set a franchise record by using 13 pitchers. The last was Dereck Rodri­ guez, who pitched two innings for the win. Yastrzemski went 2­for­7 with a walk in a game that featured two blown Giants leads. They scored in the 13th when dou­ bled home , but Kyle Barraclough, the Giants’ fourth pitcher in the inning, walked home the tying run. For the first time since 1983, the last of Carl Yastrzemski’s 23 seasons as Boston’s left fielder, the Fenway Yaz homer counter ticked up. It now reads 238: 237 for Carl, one for Mike. It was not entirely clear whether Carl saw the homer. He spent time with Mike be­ fore batting practice, greeting his grandson with a hug be­ fore they recorded a segment for MLB Network, but the 80­year­old supposedly told some folks he was going home before the game, which he often does after a pregame appearance. He will return Wednesday to toss the ceremonial first pitch and supposedly will stay for the game. Manager , an Charles Krupa / old softie, made sure to start The Giants’ Mike Yastrzemski watches the flight of his solo home run in the fourth inning against the Red Sox at Fenway Park. Yastrzemski in left field and bat him leadoff. Bradley Jr. solo homer in the games,” he said. The rookie got a standing fifth, then was pulled after “Those things overwhelm ovation from the crowd as he ’ leadoff in you more than actually play­ stepped in for his first at­bat. the sixth. Doubles by Mitch ing here. Playing here is cool, He knew it was coming be­ Moreland and Chrstian Vaz­ as part of my job, something cause he understands what his quez against Andrew Suarez, I’ve always wanted to do, so name means in this part of the and a Vogt passed ball, tied that doesn’t really overwhelm country. He gave some the game 5­5. me. But being able to do it in a thought to how he would treat The pregame scene was setting where I have so many it. staged, though still cool: the fond memories with friends “It’ll be cool,” he said. “I two Yastrzemskis walking and family, and then having don’t get wrapped up in mo­ slowly together toward the them able to be here, that’s ments very easily. I’ve trained Monster, talking about this or special.” my whole life to block out that. situations, crowd noise and Moments before, Carl was Henry Schulman is a San stuff like that. I think tonight I asked what it will mean to see Francisco Chronicle staff writer. need to take a step back and his grandson play at Fenway, Email: hschulman@ get lost in one of the moments as he did for 23 seasons. sfchronicle.com : and let me appreciate that and “I think the only way I can @hankschulman experience it. compare it to anything would Henry Schulman / The Chronicle “Then we can get back to be if I compared it to the 1967 Yastrzemski, with grandfather and Red Sox great Carl, speak business and play baseball.” season,” he said. “That’s what before talking with MLB Network’s Peter Gammons (center). Giants 7, Boston 6 (15 inn.) Initially, business was bad. it means to me, him being San Francisco ab rhbi bb so avg After the ovation, Eovaldi here, the first time the Yastr­ able to watch him here. in September, but he could not Yastrzemski lf 722113.266 Belt 1b 611113.236 struck Yastrzemski out on zemski name will be intro­ Carl offered some insight afford to look forward to this Longoria 3b 412032.260 Vogt c711102.262 four pitches at 98 or 99 mph. duced here since 1983.” into his grandson’s thoughts day. Pillar cf 711102.264 Yastrzemski managed to hit That was quite a statement, as he was stuck in the Orioles’ “I kept it very focused on Crawford ss 603212.234 Shaw dh 300002.100 one foul. given what the 1967 “Impos­ system for six minor­league just surviving one more day in Solano ph­dh 312010.337 then hit Eo­ sible Dream” season meant to seasons before getting his first the big leagues,” he said. Slater rf 601003.255 Dickerson ph 000100.306 valdi’s first pitch for a homer the city of Boston, the Red taste of the majors with the “There had been a lot of turn­ Gerber rf 000000.048 that hit the top of the Green Sox, their fans and Yastrzem­ Giants this year. over on the team, and I knew Dubon 2b 701000.283 Totals 56 7147719 Monster and bounced over. ski, who won the American “I think being traded to the that they were looking for Boston ab rhbi bb so avg Yastrzemski drew a leadoff League Triple Crown and led San Francisco organization production. In order to make Benintendi lf 700011.269 Bogaerts ss 602022.304 walk to start a three­run rally the Sox to the . changed his whole attitude it to Boston, I had to play Devers 3b 802003.310 in the third. Stephen Vogt Mike Yastrzemski’s trip to about playing baseball,” Carl well.” Martinez dh 200001.301 Travis ph 101000.225 (double), Pillar (infield out) Boston was as big a deal as said. “I think the manager and Mike walked to the ballpark G.Hernandez pr­dh 211000.133 Centeno ph 100110.167 and Crawford (single) got the advertised. During a 10­min­ hitting coach in Sacramento himself Tuesday and admitted Holt rf 510032.309 RBIs. ute news conference before (Dave Brundage and Damon he was struck by nostalgia Moreland 1b 611110.244 Vazquez c211120.274 The Giants had two outs in batting practice, he was lost in Minor) did a great job with from his days growing up near Owings pr 000000.080 the fourth when Yastrzemski amob of about 30 reporters him. I know he was very hap­ Boston. Leon c302001.200 Bradley Jr. cf 712203.221 joined Pillar as the club’s first and photographers inside the py with them. I think that “There were a lot of memo­ M.Hernandez 2b 712001.270 multiple 20­homer hitters in puny visiting dugout. helped a lot.” ries of being in the stands for Totals 57 614510 14 five seasons. Mike said the most special As soon as Mike was pro­ the World Series, being in the The 5­1 lead did not last. part of playing at Fenway is moted to the big leagues, his stands for the 1999 Home Run Due to technical issues, a com- , who had a having so many friends and family reminded him that the Derby and the All­Star Game, plete boxscore was not available mixed night, allowed a Jackie relatives from the Boston area Giants were coming to Boston being with my family at at press time.

ON Wednesday Thursday Friday Online A’S vs. Royals, 12:37 p.m. NBCSCA Off vs. Rangers, 7:07 p.m. NBCSCA For additional coverage, go to DECK Duffy (6-6) vs. Bailey (13-8) Minor (13-9) vs. TBA www.sfchronicle.com/sports/athletics A’S BEAT misreads. “He’sagreatathlete and a yard rat.He will overcome.” Laureano making Christenson subbedfor man­ agerBobMelvinduring Tues­ dayafternoon’s media session no excuse for misplay while Melvin wasaway for a procedure to alleviate neck By Susan Slusser base for Matt Olson, who’dbeen discomfort.Melvin wasback lifted for apinch­runner in the well before game time. Were it not forRamón Lau­ eighth. Laureano said thatde­ reano,the Royals easilywould fensive move didn’t factor in the Fiersupdate:Mike Fiershad have scored asecond runin the misplay, nor did the field, which an MRI exam for nerve irrita­ firstinning Mondaynight.His wasconverted from football to tion in his right arm, but as fearsome arm, justthe rep­ baseball overnight Sundayinto expected, he threwabullpen utation the A’soutfielder has for Mondaymorning. session Tuesdayand Christen­ throwing men out, keptAdal­ “I will nevermakean excuse,” Jason O. Watson / Getty Images son said he is on track to make bertoMondesífirmlyplanted Laureano said. “Itjusthappens. A’s outfielder Ramón Laureano can’t hang on to Whit his next scheduled start, likely on third base after atriple even It’s part of the game.I’ll work Merrifield’s flyball in the ninth inning of Oakland’s 6­5 loss. SaturdayagainstTexas. as Kansas City gottwomedium hard in the offseason and come Fiersexited his laststart, 2 flyballs to right. up with newhabits.” he’s there and he catches that love to have.” Saturdayat Texas, after just1 ⁄3 In the ninth, though,Laurea­ Benchcoach Ryan Christen­ ball all the time.He justhap­ “Hehas arocket­likearm inningswhen he felt a“zinger” no ran downWhit Merrifield’s son,who workswith the team’s pened to drop it.” with accuracy,aplus defender down his arm on the firstpitch flyball to center —onlyto have it , said it waspretty AlthoughLaureano has tak­ whose routes are solid,” one he threwtoRougned Odor; bang off his glove.Merrifield simple: “Hejustdropped it.It en himself to taskfor some diffi­ American League scout texted. Fiers remained in the game and wound up scoring the winning could have been alittle bitclean­ culties he has hadmaking catch­ “Lastnight wasthe firsttime allowedahomer to Odor and a runwhenMondesí doubled. er route to gethimself in alittle es this year,including mistakes I’ve seen him mess up aball.” walk before coming out. He said “I justdropped it,likeIdid better position, but the bottom at Boston and at Minnesota, a An NL scout whosawthe A’s he has felt the issue several about sevenother times this line is he wasright there where scout said playon the lastroadtripsaid times in the past, including this year,”Laureano said. “I was the ball was. Theball hithim Mondaythathe considers Lau­ Laureano “can takeawrong season, and it has not caused there.I’malways there.Ijust right in the palm and he reano the third­bestdefensive turn at times,but let’snot forget him to miss astart. dropped it.I’mtrying to figure it dropped it. outfielder in the division, after he’s been aquickriser and this is out. It’s justfootwork, that’sall. I “Sometimes it happens, and the Angels’ and the his firstfull year in the majors. have to makeup for it next time.” unfortunately, it happened in a Astros’Josh Reddick.“Hehas Addin juiced balls jumping off Susan Slusser is aSan Francisco Laureano movedfrom right huge situation. He could have the speed to overcome inconsis­ the bat; Iactuallylikehim better Chronicle staffwriter.Email: field to center field in the ninth been playing alittle bitdeeper to tencies,” the scout said. “I’dsay in center field where his speed [email protected] Twitter: whenMark Canhawent tofirst makeit not as toughacatch, but he’s aplayerall teams would plays bestand allows for some @susanslusser