Unform Number

#38 (1946), #35 (1947), #8 (1948-1963, 1965)

Quotes About

"He'd fall in a sewer and come up with a gold watch."— Casey Stengel "They say he's funny. Well, he has a lovely wife and family, a beautiful home, money in the bank, and he plays golf with millionaires. What's funny about that?"— Casey Stengel "Why has our pitching been so great? Our catcher - that's why. He looks cumbersome but he's quick as a cat." — Casey Stengel

"As an all-around catcher for both hitting and catching, I'd have to rate Bill Dickey of the Yankees in the 1930's and 40's as the best I ever saw. He was as good as anyone behind the plate, and better with the bat. There were several others I'd include right behind Dickey: Al Lopez, Mickey Cochrane, Gabby Gartnett, Roy Campanella and Wes Westrum. Yogi Berra? An excellent hitter, especially in the late innings with the game hanging in the balance, and the American League's Most Valuable Player three times, but as a catcher I always thought he was above average." — Bob Feller

Best Season

Yogi set a career-high with a .322 batting average, while catching all but six games on the schedule. He slugged 28 homers and drove in 124 runs. He also set a career-best mark with 166 runs scored, and struck out just 12 times all season. He hit a home run in the World Series sweep of the Phillies.

Factoid:

No player earned more World Series rings than the ten won by Yogi Berra.

Transactions:

Before 1943 Season: Signed by the New York Yankees as an amateur free agent; October 29, 1963: Released by the New York Yankees; April 27, 1965: Signed as a Free Agent with the New York Mets; May 17, 1965: Released by the New York Mets.

Scouting Report

For a long time the scouting report on Berra was to throw breaking balls away, but Yogi would reach out and slap the ball for a base hit and that strategy was abandoned. He was the ultimate bad-ball hitter, and opposing pitchers took to throwing strikes down the middle to see if that would work.

Description

A man-child more likely to read a comic book than a newspaper, Berra is famous for his silly sayings. While giving gratitude at a benefit, Berra commented, "I want to thank all those who made this evening necessary." After experiencing difficulty playing left field in Yankee Stadium, Berra remarked, "It gets late early out there!"

Berra-isms

Yogi once explained teammate Mickey Mantle's ability to hit with power from both sides of the plate this way: "He was naturally amphibious."