"I'm glad it was the chain link instead of the bricks" - Mike Yastrzemski recalls favorite acrobatic catch of Ketel Marte fly ball off Tyler Anderson

Mike Yastrzemski of the San Francisco Giants recently talked to former outfielder Hunter Pence about the defensive role he plays for his team as a right fielder. The Giants' home field, Oracle Park, is known for being a pitcher-friendly ballpark and one of the toughest parks to hit a home run in.

The right field corner at Oracle Park is notoriously named "triples alley." Due to the depth, it's difficult for hitters to hit home runs in that direction, and any ball hit to that area usually results in a triple. To add to that, windy conditions and bad bounces lead to the ball moving unpredictably for fielders.

In a video uploaded to YouTube by the Giants on Saturday, Mike Yastrzemski talked about his favorite play as a right fielder (Timestamp: 16:33):

"The catch that I made up against the wall against Ketel Marte for Tyler Anderson. The ball was just absolutely walloped, and I was like, 'I got no chance with this, but I'm going to make it look good, you know, make a good effort.' I turned and looked, and all of a sudden I thought 'I need to make a jump and catch it at the wall.'

"I felt like I went through the chain link (at the wall). I'm glad it was the chain link instead of the bricks."

Apart from his exploits on the field, Yaz has also been handy for his team offensively. For the 2024 season, he's batting .239, with 12 home runs and 44 RBIs.

How Mike Yastrzemski learned from teammate Jung Hoo Lee to improve defensively

Apart from making amazing deep catches, Mike Yastrzemski also has to throw the ball to home plate a fair amount from his spot in right field. The 34-year-old talked about some of the ways he has improved defensively to best optimize his catching and throwing mechanics, including taking a page out of Korean teammate Jung Hoo Lee's book.

"In terms of balls in the air, I've actually changed up a little bit of what I like to do in the air," Yastrzemski said (Timestamp: 14:07). "Mostly from Jungy, because watching him throw is incredible.

Washington Nationals v San Francisco Giants - Source: Getty

"A lot of the guys in Korea and Japan have adopted this kind of skip step before they catch the ball. When the ball's coming down, they'll shift their body sideways and come down throwing. It's really hard to do, but it's the most efficient way to get rid of the ball."

Coming off a disappointing home series loss against the Miami Marlins on Sunday, Mike Yastrzemski and the Giants will be looking to bounce back and return to winning ways when they invite NL wild-card leaders Arizona Diamondbacks to Oracle Park on Tuesday.