Yogi Berra, the Hall of Fame catcher renowned as much for his dizzying malapropisms as his record 10 World Series championships with the New York Yankees, has died. He was 90.
Berra died of natural causes on Tuesday at his home in New Jersey, according to Dave Kaplan, the director of the Yogi Berra Museum.
“While we mourn the loss of our father, grandfather and great-grandfather, we know he is at peace with Mom,” Berra’s family said in a statement released by the museum. “We celebrate his remarkable life, and are thankful he meant so much to so many. He will truly be missed.”
Photo: AP
Short, squat and with a homely face, Berra was a legendary Yankee who helped the team reach 14 World Series during his 18 seasons in the Bronx.
Berra played in more World Series games than any other Major League Baseball player, and was a three-time American League Most Valuable Player.
However, his name appears almost as often in Bartlett’s Famous Quotations as it does in baseball’s record book. “It ain’t over ‘til it’s over” is among eight “Yogi-isms” included in Bartlett’s.
“When I’m sittin’ down to dinner with the family, stuff just pops out. And they’ll say: ‘Dad, you just said another one.’ And I don’t even know what the heck I said,” Berra said.
Berra played for the Yankees from 1949 to 1965. His teammates included fellow Hall of Famers Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle and Whitey Ford.
In 1956, he caught the only perfect game in World Series history and after the last out leaped into pitcher Don Larsen’s arms. The famous moment was captured in photographs published in newspapers around the world.
After his playing days, Berra coached or managed the Yankees, New York Mets and Houston Astros. He led both the Yankees and Mets to pennants.
In 1985, his firing as manager by the Yankees 16 games into the season sparked a feud with owner George Steinbrenner. Berra vowed never to return to Yankee Stadium as long as Steinbrenner owned the team.
However, in 1999, Berra finally relented, throwing out the ceremonial first pitch of the Yankees’ season-opening game.
Berra, the son of Italian immigrants, got his nickname while growing up in St Louis. Among his amateur baseball teammates was Jack McGuire, another future MLB player.
“Some of us went to a movie with a yogi in it and afterwards Jack began calling me Yogi. It stuck,” Berra told the Saturday Evening Post.
He was a fan favorite, especially with children, and the cartoon character Yogi Bear was named after him.
Berra, who played in 15 straight MLB All-Star Games, never earned more than US$65,000 a season.
Growing up, he was anything but a natural.
Chunky and slow, Berra was rejected by his hometown St Louis Cardinals after a tryout in 1943. However, a Yankee scout recognized his potential and signed him.
He reached the major leagues late in the 1946 season and homered in his first at-bat. The next year, he continued to hit well, but his throwing was so erratic he was shifted to the outfield, then benched.
His breakthrough season came in 1948, when he hit .315 with 14 homers and 98 RBIs while continuing to improve his fielding. In 1949, he compiled a .989 fielding percentage and did not make an error in the All-Star Game or World Series.
“I don’t care who the hitter is,” New York manager Casey Stengel told the New York Journal-American. “[Berra] knows just how he should be pitched to.”
Berra was AL Most Valuable Player in 1951, 1954 and 1955. He holds World Series records for most hits (71) and most games (75).
He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1972.
“You never think of that when you’re a kid,” Berra said. “But egads, you gotta be somethin’ to get in.”
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