The Yankees and Major League Baseball lost a legend late Tuesday night, as Hall of Famer and 10-time World Series champion Yogi Berra died at the age of 90.
Yogi Berra, Yankees legend and Hall of Famer, passes away at age 90
The longtime Yankees favorite and legendary MLB player died late Tuesday night.
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Berra debuted in 1946 with the Yankees at the age of 21, following the conclusion of his service in the United States Navy during World War II. He was involved in the D-Day invasion of France, and returned to the states and the game at Triple-A Newark in ‘46 before making his major-league debut in a doubleheader on Sept. 22. Berra passed away 69 years to the day after that debut.
As a player, Berra would spend 19 seasons in New York -- 18 with the Yankees, and one with the Mets. He only appeared in four games for those ‘65 Mets after spending 1964 managing the Yankees. He would manage again in 1972, this time with the Mets, before bringing his career full circle and returning to manage the Yankees in the 80s.
Berra is most famous for his playing time, though. He held the record for home runs by a catcher until Johnny Bench (and eventually Carlton Fisk and Mike Piazza) surpassed it. He was the catcher for Don Larsen’s perfect game in the 1956 World Series. Berra was part of 10 World Series-winning teams, and participated in 14 Fall Classics total -- those are both records, and unlike for the homers, it’s hard to imagine either of them being broken. And, of course, Berra was probably most known for being quotable -- even if he didn’t say all those things he said.
The Yogi Berra Museum first announced Berra’s passing in the middle of the night on Tuesday. They also released a full statement through MLB on the loss of a baseball legend.
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