Yogi Berra

Yogi Berra
Berra with the New York Yankees in 1953
Catcher / Manager
Born: (1925-05-12)May 12, 1925 St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Died: September 22, 2015(2015-09-22) (aged 90) West Caldwell, New Jersey, U.S.
Batted: Left Threw: Right
MLB debut
September 22, 1946, for the New York Yankees
Last MLB appearance
May 9, 1965, for the New York Mets
MLB statistics
Batting average	.285
Hits	2,150
Home runs	358
Runs batted in	1,430
Managerial record	484–444
Winning %	.522
Teams
As player New York Yankees (1946–1963) New York Mets (1965) As manager New York Yankees (1964) New York Mets (1972–1975) New York Yankees (1984–1985) As coach New York Mets (1965–1971) New York Yankees (1976–1983) Houston Astros (1986–1989)
Career highlights and awards
18× All-Star (1948–1961², 1962²) 13× World Series champion (1947, 1949–1953, 1956, 1958, 1961, 1962, 1969, 1977, 1978) 3× AL MVP (1951, 1954, 1955) New York Yankees No. 8 retired Monument Park honoree Major League Baseball All-Century Team
Member of the National
Baseball Hall of Fame
Induction	1972
Vote	85.6% (second ballot)
Military career Allegiance United States Service/branch United States Navy Years of service 1943–1945 Rank Seaman second class Unit Landing Craft Support gunner[1] Battles/wars World War II Normandy landings Awards World War II Victory Medal European–African–Middle Eastern Campaign Medal

Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra (born Lorenzo Pietro Berra; May 12, 1925 – September 22, 2015) was an American professional baseball catcher who later took on the roles of manager and coach. He played 19 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) (1946–1963, 1965), all but the last for the New York Yankees. He was an 18-time All-Star and won 10 World Series championships as a player—more than any other player in MLB history.^[2] Berra had a career batting average of .285, while hitting 358 home runs and 1,430 runs batted in. He is one of only six players to win the American League Most Valuable Player Award three times. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest catchers in baseball history^[3] and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1972.

Berra was born in St. Louis, in an Italian community, and signed with the Yankees in 1943 before serving in the United States Navy as a gunner's mate in the Normandy landings during World War II. He was wounded in his left hand, but declined to fill out the paperwork to receive the Purple Heart because he did not want his mother to get a notification telegram and worry that he had been hurt. Berra never received the medal. He made his major-league debut at age 21 in 1946 and was a mainstay in the Yankees' lineup during the team's championship years beginning in 1949 and continuing through 1962. Berra was a power hitter and strong defensive catcher, despite being shorter than most in the league at 5 feet 7 inches [1.70 m] tall. Berra played 18 seasons with the Yankees before retiring after the 1963 season. He spent the next year as their manager, then joined the New York Mets in 1965 as coach (and briefly a player again). Berra remained with the Mets for the next decade, serving the last four years as their manager. He returned to the Yankees in 1976, coaching them for eight seasons and managing for two, before coaching the Houston Astros. Berra appeared as a player, coach or manager in 13 of 15 World Series that New York baseball teams won from 1947 through 1981.^[2] (The Brooklyn Dodgers won the 1955 World Series and the NY Giants won the 1954 World series; Berra was neither a player, coach or manager of either team.) Overall, he played or coached in 21 World Series, 13 on the winning side. Berra caught Don Larsen's perfect game in game five of the 1956 World Series. He also holds the all-time record for shutouts caught with 173.^[4]

The Yankees retired his uniform number 8 in 1972; Bill Dickey had previously worn number 8, and both catchers had that number retired by the Yankees. The club honored him with a plaque in Monument Park in 1988. Berra was named to the MLB All-Century Team in a vote by fans in 1999. For the remainder of his life, he was closely involved with the Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center, which he opened on the campus of Montclair State University in 1998. Berra quit school after the eighth grade.^[5] He was known for his malapropisms as well as pithy and paradoxical statements, such as "It ain't over 'til it's over", while speaking to reporters. He once simultaneously denied and confirmed his reputation by stating, "I really didn't say everything I said."^[3][6]