Yogi Berra was much more than a great player
Yogi Berra was more than a great baseball player. Sure, that is what legions of adoring Americans will remember him for. Baseball fans will always have the image of Berra jumping into the waiting arms of Don Larsen on grainy black and white film. Berra was 31 years old when he caught the only perfect game in World Series history, and for but a moment, he was a little boy once again.
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Berra seemed to hold onto his childlike innocence throughout his life, which ended at 90 years on Tuesday night. The man with the crooked smile always seemed to be joyful, despite having served in World War II in the United States Navy and hitting the shores of Normandy, France, on the fateful morning of June 6, 1944.
He became so much more than a terrific catcher who played 18 years for the New York Yankees before finishing his Hall-of-Fame career with the New York Mets in 1965. Somehow, despite three Most Valuable Player awards, 13 World Series titles (10 as a player, three as a coach) and 18 All-Star appearances, Berra was forced to wait until his second year of eligibility to make it into Cooperstown. After his career was over, Berra’s number eight was retired by the Yankees, a numeral which will appear on their sleeves in memory of the St. Louis native for the rest of the 2015 season.
After Berra hung up his spikes for the first time, he became a manager in 1964 of the Yankees, leading them to a World Series appearance. Berra then returned to the diamond and finished out his career as a player-coach in 1965 for the Mets. He would stay on as a coach for the following six years, winning another World Series in 1969 with the Miracle Mets. Berra took over the manager’s role from Gil Hodges in 1972, and the following year had New York in the World Series in 1973, where it fell to the Oakland A’s in seven hard-fought games. One of the lasting images of that series is an old Willie Mays pleading his case after being called out at home plate, with Berra screaming at the umpire. It epitomized who he was.
Berra finished his tour of duty with the Mets at the end of the 1975 season and became a bench coach for the Yankees from 1976-83, winning another pair of World Series rings. Berra took over as manager for the following two years with little success, finally retiring from the game for good. All told, Berra was in Major League Baseball from 1946-85. The man known for his Yogisms was part of 40 consecutive seasons, never needing a break or vacation.
In the final analysis, Berra had 10 consecutive seasons of at least 20 home runs and five seasons of more than 100 RBI. He totaled a .285 average with 358 home runs and 1,430 RBI for his career, despite playing in a home stadium that had a center field wall of 457 feet. The power alleys were every bit the challenge, ranging from 402 to 407 feet.
For 90 years, Berra was a beacon of light for Americans and baseball fans around the world. Now he rests in peace, having accomplished more in one lifetime than most could achieve in a millennium.