Yogi Berra: The Yankees legend with 10 WS rings

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Yogi Berra is a name that every Yankees fan loves. Lawrence Peter Berra got the nickname “Yogi” when he was a teenager playing American Legion Baseball. After seeing a movie that showcased a short segment on India, his friend Jack Maguire saw similarities between him and the “yogi or monk” in the movie and started calling him “Yogi Berra.” From that point on, the name stayed the same and became part of the baseball lore.

Yogi Berra is often called one of the greatest catchers of all time and perhaps, the best-known of the Yankees catchers. He was a key player behind the plate for 14 New York Yankees World Series teams, helping them win a record 10 rings. Berra also made 18 All-Star teams and changed the rules of offense for catchers. A documentary entitled “IT AIN’T OVER” does a brilliant portrayal of Yogi Berra’s life.

From 1946 until 1989, Yogi Berra wore the uniform of a major league team as a player, coach, and manager for the New York Yankees and the New York Mets winning pennants with both, and then he wore the uniform of the Houston Astros as a coach. Berra was the inspiration for the cartoon character known as “Yogi Bear.” Throughout his career, Yogi Berra earned the endearing nickname “The Little Squat Man” from the sportswriters who covered him.

Yogi Berra grew up in St. Louis, MO, in an Italian neighborhood. In 1943, the Yankees signed Berra for a $500 bonus. He played for the Norfolk Tars for one season, then went into the Navy during World War II and missed the 1944 and 1945 seasons. Berra fought in battles in North Africa, Italy, and France on D-Day. Just after D-Day, Berra manned a naval gunship boat that fired on enemy bunkers targeting US forces landing at Normandy.

In 1946, the Yankees sent Yogi Berra to the Class Triple-A International League’s Newark Bears. Following their loss to Montreal, the team included the player on their active MLB roster. Yogi Berra played his first game in the majors on September 22, 1946. The opponents were the Philadelphia Athletics and he made 2-for-4. In his second at-bat, he hit a home run off Jesse Flores. The next day, he hit his second homer.

In his first season, Yogi Berra hit .280 with 11 home runs and 54 RBIs in 83 games. The Yankees played the Brooklyn Dodgers in the World Series, which was the first big fall game to be shown on TV. Yogi went 0-for-7 in the first two games, but in Game 3, Berra came off the bench and hit the first home run ever hit by a pinch-hitter.

In 1950, he had a great season. Yogi Berra hit .322 with 28 home runs and 124 RBIs, and the Yankees beat the Philadelphia Phillies in three straight games to win their second straight world championship. After coming in third in the voting for AL MVP in 1950, Yogi Berra won his first Most Valuable Player Award in 1951 when he led the Yankees to another World Series win, this time against the Giants.

The next two years were more of the same for Yogi Berra. The Yankees beat Brooklyn to win their fourth and fifth titles in a row. Yogi Berra’s reputation as a clutch hitter grew as he drove in 98 runs in 1952 and 108 runs in 1953. In 1953, when the Yankees won the World Series in six games, he hit .429 at the plate. Even though the Cleveland Indians temporarily stopped the Yankees’ dynasty in 1954, a second MVP was named that year. Berra hit .307 and had 22 home runs and 125 RBIs that year.

Yogi Berra won the Most Valuable Player award three times in 1951, 1954, and 1955. What you may not know is that from 1950 to 1956, he was always in the top four in the voting. He drove in more than 100 runs five times during his career, which was very rare for a catcher at the time. Yogi Berra hit 30 home runs twice, which was also very rare. In 15 of his 19 years in the major league, he was an All-Star. He played in 18 All-Star games while being part of it for 15 seasons. His offensive record was good, but what usually makes him a legend is the fact that Yogi Berra is also a great defender.

In 1956, the Yankees beat the Dodgers and won the world championship again. Yogi Berra had a big Series with three home runs. Between 1955 and 1958, he hit a home run on Opening Day every year. Yogi Berra’s celebration following Don Larsen’s perfect game in 1956 gives fans never-to-forget memories.

In 1963, Yogi Berra became both a player and a coach for the Yankees. Even though he only played in 64 games, he hit 8 home runs. He was made manager the next year, taking over from Ralph Houk. He took the Yankees to the World Series, where they lost in seven games to the St. Louis Cardinals. After that, he was fired. In 1965, Berra moved to the other side of town.

Yogi Berra became a coach for the New York Mets under his mentor Casey Stengel and even played in a few games. He was a coach for the Mets until 1972, when Gil Hodges died and he took over as the team’s manager. After coming in third that year, he led the team to an amazing finish in 1973. Even though the Mets were in last place as late as August 30, they went 19-8 in September to win the NL East title and beat the Cincinnati Reds, the top playoff team, in the NLCS. However, the team couldn’t win the World Series despite a fierce contest and fell to the Oakland Athletics. Berra stayed as the Mets’ manager until 1975.

In 1976, Yogi Berra went back to work as a coach for the Yankees. In 1984, he was made manager again. Early in 1985, he was fired, and Billy Martin took his place.

The Baseball Writers Association of America put Yogi Berra in the Baseball Hall of Fame on January 19, 1972. For him, the Yankees retired number 8.

Yogi Berra was so good at hitting that he was one of the most feared players ever. “Yogi had the fastest bat I’ve ever seen,” said teammate Hector Lopez, “He could hit a ball that was already out of his reach, even if it was too late. Because he could hit anything, the pitchers were afraid of him and didn’t know what to throw.”

Yogi stopped playing baseball for good after the 1965 season. He had been an All-Star 18 times, won the American League MVP Award three times, and won the World Series 10 times. In 1972, Yogi Berra was chosen for the Hall of Fame. He died on September 22, 2015.

Yogi Berra’s Greatest Moments

• 15-season, 18-time AL All-Star (1948-1962) as a player.
• All-Star manager in 1974
• 3-time AL MVP (1951, 1954 & 1955)
• MVP 2nd position in 1953, 1956, and 3rd in 1950
• 20-Home Run Seasons: 11 (1949-1958 & 1961)
• 30-Home Run Seasons: 2 (1952 & 1956)
• 100 RBI Seasons: 5 (1950 & 1953-1956)
• 100 Runs Scored Seasons: 1 (1950)
• 10 World Series with the Yankees (1947, 1949-1953, 1956, 1958, 1961, 1962)
• AL Pennants: 1 (1964, as Yankees manager)
• NL Division Titles: 1 (1973, as Mets manager)
• NL Pennants: 1 (1973 as manager)
• Baseball Hall of Fame: Class of 1972

FAQs about Yogi Berra

The Stats

Yogi Berra’s Standard Batting record

Yogi Berra’s Postseason Batting

Yogi Berra’s Career Graph

(Stats sourced from Baseball-Reference)

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