Way back when in early May, Mike Yastrzemski’s batting average sat at .284, his OPS as high as .878, after a 2-hit, 2 RBI game against Colorado.

Yaz’s solid month at the plate was one of the reasons for the San Francisco Giants hot start. His performance forced Bob Melvin’s hand in terms of roster decisions, inserting himself at the top of the line-up to replace a lost LaMonte Wade Jr. Opportunities for Luis Matos to get reps in right dried up because the veteran was so solid on both sides of the baseball.

But even Yaz wasn’t immune to the miasma that settled over the Giants clubhouse last month. In fact, it may have affected him the most. He hit just .215 in May with an OPS of .574. From the start of the Athletics series on May 16th to first pitch Sunday, Yaz was 7-for-60 at the plate with just one extra base-hit, sinking his season average down to .230 and his OPS under .700. He hadn’t knocked in a run since that game against Colorado on May 4th.

Things got so bad that Buster Posey’s recent roster shake-up, while not as drastic as the Wade DFA, served as a bit of a wake-up call for Yaz. One of the moves brought up not a youthful franchise prospect but a beleaguered 29 year-old left-handed outfielder much like Yaz once was.

Daniel Johnson’s presence helped give the 34 year-old some time off to rest his weary bones (he got just three PA in the San Diego series), and it also sent off some alarm bells. I don’t think Yaz has ever taken his position on the roster for granted, but I imagine it still helps to be reminded of one’s impermanence from time to time. Seeing a fresh face roll in and immediately start filling in your spot in the batting order, and playing your position — that would get anybody’s attention.

With some recent days off and some heat on his rear, Yaz came up with game-tying plate appearances twice for the Giants in their 4-3 win over the Braves.

Down 1-0 in the 2nd against Spencer Strider, Yaz got enough barrel to a tough 2-strike fastball to lift it to center deep enough to score Matt Chapman from third.

Down 3-1 in the 4th, Yaz once again came up with runners on second and third, this time without the safety net of a productive out to fall back into. Ronald Acuña Jr. took a hit away from Dom Smith with Chapman and Wilmer Flores on first and second, and Casey Schmitt could only advance them 90 feet on a weakly rolled grounder to third. A knock was needed to even the score, and Yaz delivered, digging a 2-1 slider out from below the zone, striking it hard enough for the baseball to land directly on the right field foul line before tucking itself into the corner.

Yaz would then score on Ozzie Albies’ booted grounder, giving the Giants the lead in the finale for good. Landen Roupp collected his fourth win, riding out a couple of rough frames against the top of Atlanta’s line-up to go six strong innings. San Francisco has now played in seven straight one-run games and won five of them.

Three RBIs, the winning run scored, and a double — the drought ended in a flood… Well, a heavy downpour at least. Yaz needed it. The Giants needed it. The Braves didn’t need it, but we needed it. Maybe Adames needed it too — hopefully the old man’s performance amped him up during his planned R&R before Tuesday’s game in Colorado.