Carl Yastrzemski

Birthdate	8/22/1939
Death Date
Debut Year	1961
Year of Induction	1989
Teams	Red Sox
Position	Left Field

Carl Yastrzemski, Hall of Fame class of 1989, was the first American League player to have at least 400 homers and 3,000 base hits.

Yaz was an MVP and Triple Crown winner, a six-time Gold Glover and an 18-time All Star

Despite playing in an offensively-challenged era, Carl Yastrzemski put up no-doubt Hall of Fame numbers. His success started early. In his age-23 season, Yaz was an All Star, Gold Glover, and American League batting champion. The Boston leftfielder was an All Star in 7 of his first 10 big league campaigns. His finest season came in 1967. As the AL Tr...

For Topps, Yaz's two homers in Game 2 of the '67 Series trumped Lonborg's one-hit shutout

In 1967 the Boston Red Sox boasted both the MVP and the Cy Young Award winner. The performances of Carl Yastrzemski and Jim Lonborg propelled Bosox to a World Series showdown with the St. Louis Cardinals. After suffering a Game 1 loss at the hands of Redbird ace Bob Gibson, the Sox trotted out Lonborg in Game 2. He was masterful. Lonborg silenced the...

In 76 career postseason plate appearances, Yaz hit .369, slugged .600 and had a .447 OBP

Carl Yastrzemski never celebrated a World Series championship, yet October showcased some of his finest baseball. His legendary Triple Crown season in 1967 carried the Red Sox to the American League pennant and his first postseason appearance. Once the World Series began, Yaz stayed hot. He collected 10 hits in 25 at-bats, smashed three home runs, dr...

On September 12, 1979, Yaz became the AL's first with 3,000 hits and 400 homers

Carl Yastrzemski ranks among the finest players in American League history. When he retired, only seven AL position players owned a higher career WAR. The names ahead of him formed baseball royalty: Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Tris Speaker, Eddie Collins, Ted Williams, Lou Gehrig, and Mickey Mantle. Yastrzemski earned his place among those legends through ex...

Upon retirement, Yaz ranked 6th all-time in doubles, 8th in hits, and 10th in RBI

As Carl Yastrzemski neared the finish of his remarkable 23-year career, he continued to chase baseball immortality. Each season brought another climb up the game’s most prestigious leaderboards. When he retired in 1983, Yaz ranked eighth all-time with 3,419 hits. His 646 doubles stood sixth in major league history, while his 1,844 RBIs placed h...

Among left fielders, only Barry Bonds, Ted Williams, and Rickey Henderson scored higher on JAWS

Numbers tell stories, and few tell Carl Yastrzemski’s story more clearly than JAWS. Sabermetrician Jay Jaffe created the “Jaffe WAR Score” system to evaluate Hall of Fame credentials. The formula combines a player’s career WAR with his seven-year peak WAR. It then averages those figures into a single score. Among left fielders...

Carl Yastrzemski signed this contract with the Hall of Fame on January 10, 1989

Across 23 seasons, he collected 3,419 hits, 646 doubles, 452 home runs, and 1,844 RBIs. Those numbers told only part of the story. His consistency, durability, and all-around excellence made him one of the game’s defining stars. Cooperstown wasted little time recognizing that greatness. When Yastrzemski first appeared on the Hall of Fame ballot...

Carl Yastrzemski was a first-ballot selection for the Baseball Hall of Fame

As the 1980s drew to a close, first-ballot Hall of Fame selections remained a rare achievement. Only 23 players had earned that honor since the Hall’s founding. During the summer of 1989, two more icons joined that exclusive fraternity. Johnny Bench and Carl Yastrzemski earned election on their first appearance on the ballot, cementing careers ...

July 20th, 2017 Leave a comment

World Series championships are won on the field, not in the newspapers. In 1967 the press might’ve given the Cardinals extra motivation in their epic seven-game battle against the Red Sox. Boston wins the pennant on the last day Boston had to grind it out just to get to the postseason. The battle for supremacy in the American League came down to the last day of the regular season. Boston and second-place Detroit were separated by just a half-game. The Tigers had a doubleheader at home against the Angels. The Red Sox played the Twins at Fenway Park. Boston turned to ace Jim Lonborg for the regular season finale. The 1967 Cy Young Award winner, Gentleman Jim responded with a gutty performance. On three days rest he went the distance allowing one earned run before the sellout crowd at Fenway. The October 1st contest was his 15th complete game of the season. The Tigers needed a sweep of California. Detroit won the first game 6-4 but couldn’t contain the Angels in the second, losing 8-5. With the Detroit loss, Boston earned a berth to the World Series against the National League champion St. Louis Cardinals. The World Series begins On […]

One response to “Carl Yastrzemski”

P kelly says:

October 24, 2022 at 7:54 pm

I have an autographed letter from Ty Cobb to my dad who asked him who was the toughest pitcher he fasted. Mr. Cobb responded that it was Walter Johnson but Cy Young could not be overlooked also, it is signed 3/29/48. What should I do with it thanks

Carl Yastrzemski

In the collection:

Yaz was an MVP and Triple Crown winner, a six-time Gold Glover and an 18-time All Star

For Topps, Yaz's two homers in Game 2 of the '67 Series trumped Lonborg's one-hit shutout

In 76 career postseason plate appearances, Yaz hit .369, slugged .600 and had a .447 OBP

On September 12, 1979, Yaz became the AL's first with 3,000 hits and 400 homers

Upon retirement, Yaz ranked 6th all-time in doubles, 8th in hits, and 10th in RBI

Among left fielders, only Barry Bonds, Ted Williams, and Rickey Henderson scored higher on JAWS

Carl Yastrzemski signed this contract with the Hall of Fame on January 10, 1989

Carl Yastrzemski was a first-ballot selection for the Baseball Hall of Fame

A Story about Carl Yastrzemski

There was no champagne for Red Sox, Lonborg in ‘67

July 20th, 2017 Leave a comment

Ted Williams

Carroll Hardy

Jim Lonborg

Jim Rice

Tom Yawkey

Luis Tiant

One response to “Carl Yastrzemski”