Yankees great and Hall of Famer Yogi Berra turned 87 today.
I thought that it might be nice to take a look back at the career of one of the greatest (and funniest) men to ever wear pinstripes.
Yogi Berra did not make his debut for the New York Yankees until 1946 as a 21-year-old. He only played in seven games that season, but he hit his first two home runs during those games and showed enough promise to earn substantial playing time the following year.
It turned out that that was an excellent decision for the New York Yankees. That very next season, he came in 15th in the MVP voting.
The reason that that is significant is because Yogi Berra received MVP votes every year between 1947 and 1961. That would be phenomenal for any player, but given the physical demands placed upon the catcher, it’s even more remarkable.
He didn’t just receive MVP votes, but he won three of them in 1951, 1954 and 1955. Also, he hit at least 20 home runs every year from 1949 to 1958.
Obviously, he had long stretches of great success, and his career numbers reflect that. He boasts a .285 career batting average with 358 home runs, 1,430 RBI and walked a remarkable 707 times compared to 414 strikeouts.
All of these numbers help demonstrate how talented Berra actually was and show why he was the best catcher to ever play in a Yankees uniform.
No discussion of Yogi Berra would be complete without a discussion of Yogi-isms. I personally find him hilarious (I love the irony), and I know that thousands, if not millions, of other people do as well. Therefore, here are some of my favorites.
It’s déjà vu all over again.
I didn’t really say everything I said.
It gets late early out here.
It ain’t over ’til it’s over.
(All of these and more can be found at this Yogi Berra website)
So, I have no idea if you will ever read this, but happy birthday Mr. Berra! You had a great career as one of the best offensive catchers in history and one of the funniest men in America.
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