Seth Wells | @Seth_Wells22
MLB Remembers an Icon
Baseball lost an icon Tuesday night when legendary Yankees catcher Yogi Berra passed away at the age of 90. Berra is revered across the game and across all of sports for not only his great play, but his character on and off the field. He provided some of the best quotes in baseball with his “Yogi-isms” as they’re called now and at just 5 foot 7, was one of the best catchers in the history of the game.
Playing Career
As a player Yogi was a 15 time All-Star and a 3-time MVP in the American League during his 18 seasons with the New York Yankees. Berra was a part of a dominant Yankees era where he appeared in 14 World Series, winning it 10 times. An incredible stretch for the most historic franchise in the league. Berra also had a short (1 year) stint with the cross-town New York Mets at the end of his career.
After 19 seasons in the MLB, Berra finished with a .285 career batting average with 358 home runs and 1,430 RBI’s.
After finally hanging up the cleats in 1963, Berra was inducted into baseball’s Hall of Fame 7 years later in 1972.
That, however, is not where Berra’s impact on baseball ended.
Managerial Career
Soon after his decision to retire from playing, the Yankees hired Berra to manage the team starting with the 1964 season. In his first managerial season the Yankees won the AL Pennant, but lost the World Series in 7 games to St. Louis. After the season the Yankees replaced Berra at manager with Johnny Keane, whom had just managed St. Louis to the World Series title over Berra’s Yankees.
Berra then moved to the other side of town and took a job as the first base coach with the Mets, who were led by manager Gil Hodges at the time.
The Mets hadn’t seen much success as of late until the “Miracle-Mets” won the 1969 World Series title with Berra coaching first base.
Hodges, passed away prior to the 1972 season and Berra was named the new manager for the Mets.
In just under 4 seasons as manager, Berra’s Mets won one NL Pennant in 1973, after Yogi muttered the famous “it ain’t over till it’s over” wish his team struggling in August, but were stymied in the World Series by the Oakland Athletics.
Berra was fired by the Mets near the end of the 1975 season.
His next stint as manager was back with the Yankees in 1984 but lasted just over one season. 16 games into the 1985 season, after a George Steinbrenner promise that he would finish the season as manager, Berra was fired and replaced by Billy Martin (the man Berra replaced in ’84). This upset Berra, who did not step foot in Yankee Stadium for the next 14 years, in one of the greatest feuds in MLB history.
Berra never got another chance to manage in the league after 1985 but did coach the Athletics for a few years.
Remembering Yogi
The game of baseball will surely miss one of its all-time greatest players and people. What Berra contributed both on and off the field will not soon be forgotten. Berra is survived by his three sons, 11 grandchildren, and one grand-son.
Here are some of the most famous “Yogi-isms”
“It ain’t over till it’s over.”
“Baseball is 90 percent mental. The other half is physical.”
“All pitchers are liars or crybabies.”
“A nickel ain’t worth a dime anymore.
“You can observe a lot by watching.”
“I usually take a two-hour nap from 1 to 4.”
“It gets late early out here.”
“It’s deja vu all over again.”
Leave your comments with your favorite “Yogi-ism” below!
Seth Wells covers the MLB and Butler Men’s Basketball for BU:30.
srwells@butler.edu | @Seth_Wells22