(Editor’s note: Mike Yastrzemski died after complications from hip surgery 20 years ago this week. Bill Burt wrote a piece soon after on Carl Yastrzemski’s only son and his influence as a player and person at Florida State University. Mike’s son, Michael, is a star outfielder for the San Francisco Giants. He was a few days into his freshman year at St. John’s Prep when his dad passed.)
Florida State University coach Mike Martin had not heard from one of his favorite former players, Mike Yastrzemski, in more than a decade. But it did not soften the blow that hit his office on Friday when he got word that Yastrzemski died a few days earlier.
“I’m stunned,” said Martin. “I’m walking around in a funk. We’ve lost someone from our family, and that’s really hard.”
Martin feels a kinship with Yastrzemski, the only son of Red Sox legend and Baseball Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski. Both got their starts at Florida State the same year in the fall of 1979.
“I had just come in replacing Dick Howser, who left to join the Yankees,” said Martin. “Dick had basically recruited Mike and Yaz knew him well. When I replaced Dick, Carl came here to Tallahassee to get to know me better. He just wanted to get together with me and see if this is where he wanted his son to go.”
Yaz apparently was won over by the new coach because he not only gave his approval but forged a relationship with Martin, who has since been at Florida State for 25 seasons.
And it didn’t take long for Michael to win over his new college coach, either.
“Mike never took himself out of the lineup because of an injury,” said Martin. “And nobody worked on their game harder than he did. I know he probably got that from his dad, but that’s the way it was here. Nobody outworked him. He was a leader by example.”
A switch-hitting right fielder, Yastrzemski left Florida State after putting up some impressive numbers.
He still holds the record for games played with the Seminoles (279), who amassed an amazing record of 217-60-2, including four 50-win seasons, when Yastrzemski’s name was in the lineup.
He left with a .295 batting average, 278 hits, 40 home runs and 223 RBI. He was also the captain his senior season in 1983.
To this day, some 21 years after graduating, Yastrzemski still ranks in the top 10 in seven different categories: Sixth all-time in at-bats; seventh in runs scored; fourth in doubles; fourth in triples; seventh in RBI; 10th in total bases; and sixth in walks.
They still talk about Yastrzemski’s MVP performance during the South Regional in 1980 when Florida State advanced to the College World Series.
“You don’t see too many switch hitters that hit for average and power,” said Martin. “Michael didn’t hit a lot of homers, but he hit his fair share. But the best part about him was the fact that he was all about winning. He didn’t care about his stats; he just wanted to win.”
Martin said the family name was a big plus. A lot of players in the program looked up to him. It didn’t hurt that his dad would pop by every now and again for some batting instruction.
Martin came to Boston a few times over the year, and Carl would leave him tickets.
“I was always treated like royalty by the Yastrzemski family,” said Martin. “I still have a golf bag Carl gave me 25 years ago; it’s a Spalding bag. Whenever I see it, I think of that family. He also gave me a picture which is still on my office wall. I see it every day. He wrote: ‘Thanks for all you did for my son,’ and he signed it. I think I’m going to cry just talking about it.”
Martin says he has so many fond memories of his former star right fielder, but one sticks out.
Florida State was playing little-known Wingate University, which had just moved up from being a junior college to a four-year school. It also happened to be Martin’s alma mater.
“It was late in the game and we were down 4-2 in the eighth inning,” recalled Martin. “It would have been be a huge upset. Well, Mike comes up with men on first and second (with no outs). He shows bunt, pulling in the third baseman, before whacking a bullet down the line. It went for a double and both runs scored. He finally scored and we eventually won, 5-4.”
Afterward, Yastrzemski made Martin laugh.
“He said, ‘That’s the last time I take a rinky-dink school like that for granted,’” said Martin. “I said, ‘Hey, you’re calling my school a rinky-dink school.’ We laughed over that one a long time. …
“I realize I haven’t seen Michael in a long time, but I’m really hurting over this. He really was family.”