Carl Yastrzemski remains a massive figure with the Boston Red Sox.
The Hall of Famer has been hanging out at spring training in Ft. Myers, Fla., helping out young Sox players as they gear up for the 2019 season.
Perhaps the Red Sox’s greatest living legend, Yaz feels good about the Red Sox heading into the season, praising Boston’s impressive core of outfielders.
But Yastrzemski gave high praise to another prominent member of the Red Sox — Chris Sale.
The 1967 Triple Crown winner told Dan Shaughnessy of the Boston Globe he’s not sure how he would have done against the lefty ace.
“I don’t know,’’ Yastrzemski said. “I know he’s tough on left-handers. He wheels and deals. I feel sorry when I see a left-hander go up against him. I’m just glad it’s not me.”
Yaz also noted the elevated athletic ability of players in today’s game, in which seemingly every reliever deals at 100 mph.
“The athletes in every sport are much better,” Yaz said. “I think pitching is different a little because of the lower mound. Before they lowered the mound, everybody was hard-throwing. When (Luis) Tiant came up with Cleveland, he threw close to 100 miles an hour. He could bring it.”
Perhaps the greatest compliment a Hall of Fame hitter could give a pitcher is that they are happy they didn’t have to face them.
And Yaz has a point about Sale. Lefties are batting just .200 lifetime against the soon-to-be 30-year-old, with a .254 on-base percentage and 372 strikeouts. Yaz batted .244 against left-handed pitchers over his career.
