Yogi Berra (1972)


Date of Birth: 5/12/1925
Date of Death: 9/22/2015
Birthplace: St. Louis, Missouri

Yogi Berra first played organized baseball with American Legion teams. In 1943, he signed with the New York Yankees and he played in their minor league system that season. During World War II, he served in the US Navy.

New York Yankees

In 1946, Berra played primarily in the minor leagues, playing in just seven games with the Yankees. The following season, he played in 83 games and batted .280 with 82 hits, 15 doubles, 11 home runs, and 54 RBIs.

In his first full season with the Yankees (1948), Berra batted .305 with 143 hits, 24 doubles, 10 triples, 14 home runs, and 98 RBIs in 125 games. The following season, he had 115 hits, 20 doubles, 20 home runs, 91 RBIs, and a .277 batting average in 116 games.

Berra had career highs in games played, hits, and doubles in 1950. He batted .322 with 192 hits, 30 doubles, 28 home runs, 124 RBIs, and 12 strikeouts to 55 walks in 151 games.

Berra won his first of three AL MVP awards in 1951. That season he had 161 hits, 19 doubles, 27 home runs, 88 RBIs, and a .294 batting average in 141 games. The next year, he had career highs in home runs and walks. He finished the 1952 season with 146 hits, 17 doubles, 30 home runs, 98 RBIs, 24 strikeouts to 66 walks, and a .273 batting average in 142 games.

Berra played in 137 games in 1953. He finished the season with 149 hits, 23 doubles, 27 home runs, 108 RBIs, and a .296 batting average.

Berra won back-to-back AL MVP awards in 1954 and 1955. The first of those years he batted .307 with 179 hits, 28 doubles, 22 home runs, a career high 125 RBIs, and 29 strikeouts to 56 walks in 151 games. In 1955, he had 147 hits, 20 doubles, 27 home runs, 108 RBIs, 20 strikeouts to 60 walks, and a .272 batting average.

In 1956, Berra had a career high in home runs with 30. He finished the season with 155 hits, 20 doubles, 105 RBIs, and a .298 batting average in 140 games. His batting average dropped to .251 in 1957, when he played in 134 games. That year he had 121 hits, 24 home runs, and 82 RBIs.

Berra played in 131 games in 1959, and he batted .284 with 134 hits, 25 doubles, 19 home runs, and 69 RBIs. The following two seasons he played in fewer games, with 120 games in 1960 and 119 games in 1961. He batted .276 in 1960, and .271 the next year.

In his last two years with the Yankees, Berra's production dropped significantly. He played in just 86 games in 1962, and he batted .224 with 52 hits. The following year, he had a .293 batting average with 43 hits in 64 games.

Berra became the manager of the Yankees in 1964. He led the team to 99 wins and 63 losses and an AL pennant win.

New York Mets

The New York Mets signed Berra on April 27, 1965. However, he only played in four games before the Mets released him on May 17th.

Awards

  • AL MVP - 3 times

Career Statistics

Berra played in over 100 games in each of 14 seasons (1948-1961). His batting statistics during that time include:

  • 4 seasons with over 150 hits, with a high of 192 in 1950
  • 11 seasons with 20 or more home runs, with a high of 30 in 1952 and 1956
  • 5 seasons with over 100 RBIs, with highs of 124 in 1950 and 125 in 1954
  • 3 seasons with a batting average over .300, with a high of .322 in 1950

Career batting statistics for Berra include:

  • 2,120 games played
  • 2,150 hits
  • 321 doubles
  • 358 home runs
  • 1,430 RBIs
  • .285 batting average

Career fielding statistics for Berra as a catcher include:

  • 1,699 games played
  • 110 errors
  • 798 assists
  • 8,738 putouts
  • .989 fielding percentage

Career postseason statistics for Berra include:

  • 75 games played
  • 259 at-bats
  • 71 hits
  • 10 doubles
  • 12 home runs
  • 39 RBIs
  • 17 strikeouts to 32 walks
  • .274 batting average
  • .348 on-base percentage
  • .830 OPS

Post Playing Career

After retiring as a major league player, Berra started a long second career as a major league coach and manager. He stayed with the Mets as a coach from 1965-1972. In 1972, he became their manager, staying in that position through the 1975 season. After being fired as manager in August, 1975, Berra stayed out of baseball until the following season when he returned to the Yankees, this time as a coach. After coaching with the Yankees for eight seasons, Berra was made manager in 1984. He was fired early in the 1985 season by George Steinbrenner, leading to a feud that kept Berra away from the Yankees until Steinbrenner apologized in 2000.

Berra's accomplishments as a manager in seven seasons (1964, 1972-1975, 1984-1985) include:

  • 484-444 win-loss record
  • American League pennant in 1964 with the New York Yankees
  • National League pennant in 1973 with the New York Mets

In 1986, Berra took a coaching position with the Houston Astros and he remained in that job through 1989. After resolving his differences with Steinbrenner in 2000, Berra was a regular fixture at the Yankees spring training games through the 2012 season.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Yogi Berra
ESPN - Yogi Berra
Baseball Reference - Yogi Berra

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