| Birthdate | 5/12/1925 |
| Death Date | 9/22/2015 |
| Debut Year | 1946 |
| Year of Induction | 1972 |
| Teams | Mets, Yankees |
| Position | Catcher |
One of only five players to win the AL MVP three times, Yogi Berra was an 18-time All Star and 10-time World Series champion as a player.
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A young Yogi Berra looks a bit hesitant as he shakes the hand of Babe Ruth in this photo taken in 1947, the catcher’s third season in the Major Leagues.
The shot was taken at Sportsman’s Park in St. Louis during the festivities of Babe Ruth Day on April 27, 1947. A less than robust Ruth was ailing and would die two months later of esophageal cancer.
The ceremony honoring the Sultan of Swat featured speeches that were fed into every big league and minor league stadium that day.
Yogi Berra is regarded as one of the the greatest catchers in baseball history. The 18-time All Star earned ten World Series rings as a player.
Berra enjoyed quite a run from 1950-1956. Each of those seven seasons he finished in the top three in MVP voting, winning the award three times. The Yankees appeared in the World Series every year, winning it each season except 1955.
In the collection is this letter from Berra regarding a 1953 endorsement deal. Cigarettes were all the rage in 50’s and Chesterfield was the brand of choice for much of baseball including Yankee catcher Berra.
In this letter Berra writes, “Enclosed please find the two agreements for the Chesterfield contract. In reply to your note, I do smoke and my brand is Chesterfield.”
At the bottom the Yankee catcher has signed his more legal name, “Larry Berra” in favor of his nickname “Yogi”.
Today it would be unimaginable to have a major leaguer endorsing tobacco products but in 1953 it was a nice source of income and a socially acceptable practice.
Here Berra is shown on a Chesterfield advertisement. The 1953 ad attributes this quote to the 15-time All Star: “Chesterfield – my cigarette for eight years – Best for me. Best for you!”
In Game 1 of the 1955 World Series, a moment etched in baseball history unfolded when Jackie Robinson attempted to steal home. As pitcher Whitey Ford began his windup, Robinson broke from third base, a bold move that electrified the crowd. Ford delivered the pitch, and Yogi Berra, the New York Yankees’ legendary catcher, sprang into action. He received the ball and quickly applied the tag as Robinson slid into the plate.
However, home plate umpire Bill Summers made the fateful call: Robinson was safe. The decision ignited a fiery argument from Yogi, who vehemently protested to no avail. Despite the umpire’s ruling, Yogi was convinced that he had tagged Robinson before he touched home. For the rest of his life, he maintained that Jackie was out, forever solidifying the moment as a point of contention in baseball lore.
Shown here is Jackie Robinson’s autograph. Dated January 29, 1964, this personal check is make out to Chock Full O’ Nuts. In 1956 Robinson was traded to the New York Giants. Rather than report to his new team, Robinson became Vice President and Director of Personnel for the company. His firm focused on hiring minority employees, boasting a workforce of nearly 75% African-Americans.
Yogi Berra stacked rings like a dynasty in motion, grabbing ten titles from 1947 through 1962. In his first full season of 1947 Berra earned his initial ring with a win over Brooklyn. That script kept repeating, and the Dodgers kept running into a wall. New York beat Brooklyn in ’47, ’49, ’52, and ’53, taking 16 of 24 Fall Classic games.
Then 1955 flipped the script. The Yankees grabbed the first two games at home, and history favored them heavily. Every club with a 2–0 lead had finished the job before. Brooklyn stormed back at Ebbets Field and ripped off three straight wins. Momentum shifted hard, and the pressure swung north.
Back in the Bronx, Whitey Ford took the ball from skipper Casey Stengel and delivered a four-hit complete game. He evened the series and set the stage for a winner-take-all finale. Game 7 belonged to the Dodgers Johnny Podres, a 23-year-old lefty who spun a shutout. Brooklyn finally captured its lone championship, snapping New York’s long run of dominance.
Berra never blinked at the plate. He hit .417, reached base in half his plate appearances, and drove the offense. The ticket from Game 2 captures that moment, signed by Yankees Berra and Mickey Mantle. Pee Wee Reese and Duke Snider add Brooklyn’s presence, while Bill Skowron completes the piece on the reverse.
Yogi Berra had a way with words. Just ask his battery mate of 12 seasons Whitey Ford.
One of the pitcher’s favorite tales to tell was “Yogi Berra and the four-ball story”. Ford delivered it many times.
Like many of the best baseball stories, this one is a mixture of truth and fantasy.
It’s a quick and easy read that’s sure to give you a chuckle.
Read More >"Whoever wants to know the heart and mind of America had better learn baseball…"
~Jacques Barzun, 1954
Oh, how I loved watching many of these Yankee greats on Saturday afternoon “Baseball Game of the Week”. Every Saturday in the mid to late 1950’s and the early years of the ’60’s watching a Saturday afternoon baseball game that was almost always a “Yankees” game. Announcers for many of those games were PeeWee Reese and Dizzy Dean!! What a treat for a young kid in South Central Texas, Mom would make a hamburger for me and my Dad and we would sit there and watch those games every Saturday. Thanks for the memories guys!!
My dad was a Red Sox fan, and I was a Red Sox fan, but we both thought Yogi was one of the best MLB ballplayers ever. And a great guy as well.
Hi!
Somewhere there’s a photo of Ted Williams cracking up about something that Yogi said that caused Ted to loose it as he backed away from the plate with his bat in hand.
I’d love to know what Yogi said to Ted that day.
I also would watch the Yankees on Saturday afternoon. Yogi Berra, Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, Clete Boyer and Tommy John. I loved the Yankees then and was always fun watching them.
One story missing was :
Yogi and the Yankees were staying in a hotel on a road trip. It was in the middle of a heat wave and as Yogi and a few other players were heading out to dinner, Yogi, who was wearing a crisp cotton shirt and slack was approched by a woman who said to yogi, boy, you look nice and cool, and Yogi said, thanks lady, you dont look too hot yourself.
Birdie Tebbetts once asked Casey Stengel what he thought was the main reason for Casey’s success. Stengel replied, “I never play a game without my man.” The Ol’ Perfessor was referring to Yogi. Sometimes at Catcher, other times in LF or First Base.