New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone, left, poses with U.S. men's national soccer team head coach Gregg Berhalter before the first baseball game of a doubleheader against the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2022, in New York. AP

Here’s something you don’t see every day: a Boston Red Sox fan throwing out the first pitch at Yankee Stadium ... while wearing a Yankees cap.

But that’s exactly what happened Wednesday before the first game of the single-admission doubleheader against the Minnesota Twins.

The first-pitch honor went to Gregg Berhalter, head coach of the U.S. Mens National Soccer Team, which is preparing for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar in November.

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Here’s the catch: Berhalter is the godson and cousin of Red Sox Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski. Per NESN:

MLB.com reporter Bryan Hoch asked Berhalter what Yastrzemski would think if he saw him in a Yankees hat.

“He wouldn’t be too happy, but it would be rude of me to wear a Red Sox hat right now,” Berhalter told Hoch. “So, when in Rome.”

Here’s the backstory on Berhalter, a Bergen County native, and Yaz, with details coming from SI.

“My mom’s side of the family are Polish potato farmers from Long Island, and my grandfather’s sister—my mom’s father’s sister—is Yaz’s mom. He’s my second cousin, and he happens to be my godfather,” Berhalter explained.

Berhalter spent plenty of time around Fenway Park as a kid.

“I remember going on the field, being on the field for batting practice, going into the clubhouse after the game—all that stuff,” Berhalter said. “It was great to be around the clubhouse, but just being around Fenway—climbing on the roof and looking for foul balls, just being a Fenway rat.”

Among the games he took in was “Yaz Day,” as the left fielder retired in 1983 after 23 MLB seasons.

“We loved baseball. Baseball was everything,” Berhalter said. “Growing up in Northern Jersey, soccer was there. We had the Cosmos, and at an early age I kind of pivoted. [Carl] retired when I was younger so [he wasn’t playing] like in those formative years when you really get into it. Soccer eventually took over.”

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As for Yastrzemski, his resume is nothing short of stellar. It includes 18 All-Star appearances and the 1967 American League MVP Award, when he won the Triple Crown.

A first-ballot Hall-of-Fame inductee, Yaz is second all-time in games played (3,308) to Pete Rose and ninth all-time in base hits (3,419).

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Mike Rosenstein may be reached at mrosenstein@njadvancemedia.com.

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