Yogi Berra, quite possibly one of the best players to ever
play Major League Baseball, passed away this week of natural causes in his
sleep. Berra was living in an assisted living facility in West Caldwell, New
Jersey and was 90 years old. Berra died on the same day he made his major
League debut 69 years prior. With heavy hearts and teary eyes we remember
Yankees of the past, we remember Mr. Yogi Berra.
“It ain’t over ‘til
it’s over.”
Lawrence Peter “Yogi” Berra was born on May 12, 1925 in a
primarily Italian neighborhood of St. Louis, Missouri called “The Hill.” Berra
was born to a pair of Italian immigrants Pietro and Paolina Berra. Pietro came
to Ellis Island, New York on October 18, 1909 at the age of 23 and nicknamed
his son “Lawdie” which was derived from his mother’s inability to pronounce the
names “Lawrence” or “Larry” correctly. Berra attended South Side Catholic
School, now known as St. Mary’s High School, in south St. Louis but quit after
the eighth grade to begin playing baseball in the local American Legion
Leagues. There Berra learned the basics of catching, playing the outfield and
the infield but more importantly earned the name “Yogi” from Bobby Hofman who
thought Berra resembled a “Hindu yogi” when he crossed his arms and legs when
he sat down waiting to bat or the way he looked depressed and sad after losing
a game.
“Always go to other
people’s funerals otherwise they won’t go to yours.”
In 1942 Berra hoped to sign with his childhood favorite team
the St. Louis Cardinals but then Cardinals president Branch Rickey instead
signed his boyhood best friend Joe Garagiola. Berra reportedly took the news
tough but Rickey had an ulterior motive. Rickey was set to leave the Cardinals
to join the Brooklyn Dodgers and wanted to bring Berra with him but the New
York Yankees came calling first offering his a $500 bonus, the same bonus that
Garagiola received from St. Louis. Berra’s minor league career was cut short
after he served in the U.S. Navy during World War II as a gunner’s mate on the
USS Bayfield. Berra was on the ship when the Americans stormed the beaches of
Normandy in an attempt to take back France on what is now known as D-Day in the
history books.
“You can observe a
lot just from watching.”
Berra made his Major League debut with the Yankees in 1946
playing in just seven games before getting into 83 contests in 1947. Berra
finished his Yankees playing career playing in over 100 games fourteen
different times while also appearing in fourteen World Series, winning 10 of
them. Berra played in 75 World Series games, had 259 at bats, 71 hits, 10
doubles, 49 singles, played 63 games as a catcher and had 457 catcher putouts,
all World Series records that still stand today. Berra also hit the first
pinch-hit home run in World Series history when he stepped up to the plate in
Game Three of the 1947 World Series against the Brooklyn Dodgers. Berra took
Dodger’s pitcher Ralph Branca deep, that same Ralph Branca that gave up Bobby
Thomson’s famous “Shot Heard ‘Round the World” just four years later. Berra was
a 15 time All-Star and was selected to 18 All-Star Games overall (MLB held two
All-Star Games from 1959-1962) and won the AL MVP Award three different times
never finishing lower than fourth in the voting from 1950-1957.
“If I can hit it,
it’s a good pitch.”
Berra never truly got the recognition that Mickey Mantle or
Joe DiMaggio got but it was Berra that kept the Yankees offense going for the
most part during his tenure. It was also Berra’s defense and game calling,
which was on full display when Don Larsen threw the only perfect game in World
Series history with Berra behind the plate in the 1956 World Series, and his
playing style was something for the newer generations of baseball players to
look up to. Berra could hit bad pitches and cover the entire strike zone with a
consistency unseen at the time in Major League Baseball. Berra had more home
runs than strikeouts in five different seasons in his career and the Yankees
catcher quickly became the original “clutch hitter” in the game. Berra, with a
finger outside of his catcher’s glove, was also a great defender that simply
did not make errors or bad throws while behind the dish. Most catchers now
emulate Berra with the finger outside the glove and could only hope to be half
as good as Yogi was in the assists and fielding percentage areas of the game.
“It’s deja vu all
over again.”
When Berra got too old to catch he became a good defensive
outfielder for the Yankees and even manned the usually tough left field at the
stadium. There was nothing that Yogi couldn’t do which is why when he retired
after the 1963 World Series he became the Yankees manager replacing Ralph Houk.
Berra led the Yankees to the World Series in 1964, this time as the manager,
but was not able to get the team past the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games.
After just one season and a World Series trip Yogi Berra was fired as the
manager of the New York Yankees.
“When you come to a
fork in the road, take it.”
The Mets quickly signed Berra to be a coach on their staff
and even allowed him to make four appearances as a catcher early on in the
season. Berra was reunited with long time manager Casey Stengel with the Mets
and stayed with New York’s other team for eight seasons, including their 1969
World Series run. Berra officially became the manager of the Mets in 1972 and
led the team to an NL East Division crown. Berra was back in the postseason
with the Mets in 1973 and even led the team over the heavily favored Big Red
Machine en route to a National League pennant.
The Mets fell to the Oakland Athletics in that World Series but it took
them seven games before they fell.
“Nobody goes there
anymore. It’s too crowded.”
Berra was fired as the Mets manager on August 5, 1975 after
compiling 298 wins and 302 losses including postseason play. In 1976 Berra was
back with the Yankees as a coach when the team won three consecutive American
League pennants and the 1977 and 1978 World Series titles. Berra was back as
the team’s manager before the 1984 season but turmoil was back in the Bronx
before the 1985 season due to owner George Steinbrenner. Steinbrenner had to
convince Berra to stay on in 1985 by assuring him that he would not be fired. A
mere 16 games into the 1985 season Steinbrenner fired Berra leaving the former
Yankees catcher and Yankees legend to boycott the Yankees, Mr. Steinbrenner and
Yankee Stadium all together.
“90% of the game is
half mental.”
Berra continues his coaching career in 1985 when the Houston
Astros signed him to be the bench coach. Berra faced off against his former team,
the New York Mets, in the NLCS in six games and remained on with Houston for
three more seasons before officially calling it quits after the 1989 season.
Berra remained away from the Yankees and outside of Yankee Stadium until in
1999 when George Steinbrenner went to his house to personally apologize in
person for his firing and the way it was handled. Berra and Steinbrenner were
able to end a 14-year estrangement with the Yankees organization and invited
Berra to spring training camp that season to work with the Yankees young
catcher Jorge Posada. Berra was back in the Bronx.
“Thank you for making
this day necessary.”
When his playing career was said and done Berra was an
All-Star a whopping 15 times and won the American League’s MVP Award three
different times. Berra appeared in the World Series 21 times as a player, coach
and manager and won 13 of them, 10 of them coming as a player for the New York
Yankees. Berra was voted into the MLB All-Century Team by the fans in 1999 and
even managed both an American League and National League team to the World
Series. Berra’s career in Major League Baseball was one to envy but the young
Italian was far from living when he finally called it quits. Berra had his #8
jointly retired with Bill Dickey in 1972 and watched last night from heaven as
the Yankees wore his #8 on their jersey sleeves in Toronto.
“I really didn’t say
everything that I said.”
Yes you did Yogi and we love you for it. May you rest in
peace and keep ‘em rolling until I get there to join you! Love you Yogi!
