Photo by Brandon Di Perno
Yogi Berra was the epitome of a Yankee great. He was an 18 time All-Star and a Manager/Coach in which he taught the subtle aspects of the game o generations of young baseball players. Along with his stellar baseball career, Yogi served with distinction in the Navy during World War II. During his service in the Navy, Yogi took part in the invasion of Normandy. A fighter on the field and off, Yogi was shot and wounded in “Operation Dragoon,” an allied assault on Marseilles.
At only 5’7 Yogi was a prodigious hitting catcher. He finished his with a career batting average of .285, 358 HR’s, and 1,430 RBI’s. When the Yankees were stacked with stars like Mickey Mantle and Joe DiMaggio, Yogi led the Yankees in RBI’s for seven consecutive seasons. In five different seasons, Berra had more HR’s than strikeouts. In 1956, Berra had 30 HR’s with just 29 strikeouts. No player since has at least 30 HR’s with fewer than 30 strikeouts in a season. Buster Posey is widely considered the best catcher in baseball today, last year he stuck out 69 times with only 22 HR’s.
In addition to his offensive contributions, Berra was one of the best all time behind the plate. He is only one of four catchers all time to field 1.000 for a season, playing 88 games without an error. Yogi was consistent too, he led all American League catchers in games caught and defensive put outs eight times.
Berra won an incredible ten World Series and was a three time MVP, in 1951, 1954, and 1955. Berra has the most World Series hits 71, games caught 63, and at-bats 259.
Berra retired after the 1963 season and became the Yankee manager and later manager of the New York Mets. Berra went back to the Yankees and then onto the Houston Astros. He ended his coaching career with the Yankees helping up-and-coming catcher, and future Yankee great Jorge Posada.
Berra became well known for his “Yogi-isms”. Some of my favorites include “it ain’t over until it’s over,” “when you come to a fork in the road, take it,” “nobody goes there anymore, it’s to crowded,” and a fan favorite “90% of baseball is half mental.”
The Yankees, the baseball community as a whole, and anyone who knew him will miss the great number eight, Yogi Berra.