| 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 championships with the certainty of a rolling tide, claiming ten titles from 1947 through 1962. He broke through in his rookie year of 1947, earning his first ring against the Brooklyn Dodgers. That matchup turned familiar, and Brooklyn kept colliding with the same wall. New York beat the Dodgers in ’47, ’49, ’52, and ’53, winning 16 of 24 World Series games.
By 1955, the script looked unchanged. Berra powered the New York Yankees to 96 wins and another American League pennant. He captured his third MVP award, his second straight, while anchoring the lineup and handling the staff. Confidence surged as October returned.
Again, the Yankees faced Brooklyn, a rival they had owned for years. New York grabbed the first two games at home, and Berra set the tone. He reached base five times and crossed the plate twice, pressing every advantage. History leaned heavily toward the Bronx, since every club with a 2–0 lead had closed the deal.
One Game 2 ticket freezes that moment in time. Berra and Mickey Mantle signed across the front, marking New York’s edge. Pee Wee Reese and Duke Snider answered for Brooklyn, adding their names to the scene. Flip it over, and Bill Skowron completes the piece, sealing a snapshot of a rivalry at full boil.
Brooklyn dropped the first two games at Yankee Stadium and faced a steep climb in the 1955 World Series. The Series shifted to Ebbets Field, where fans packed every seat and fueled the charge. Energy surged, and the Dodgers answered with urgency.
In Game 3, Dodger southpaw Johnny Podres seized control and delivered a complete-game win. Momentum built in Games 4 and 5 as Duke Snider crushed three homers and drove in five runs. Brooklyn grabbed both games and moved ahead 3–2, closing in on history. New York pushed back in Game 6, refusing to yield. Manager Casey Stengel handed the ball to Whitey Ford, who answered with a four-hit complete game.
Game 7 tightened every nerve across both boroughs. Podres returned with precision, attacked the zone, and shut down rallies before they formed. He controlled tempo, mixed pitches, and owned the stage. Brooklyn scratched out two runs and leaned on its ace to finish. The final score read 2–0, delivering the franchise’s only Brooklyn championship.
The defeat hit Yogi Berra and the New York Yankees hard. It marked their first Series loss since 1942 and only their second since 1926. Berra still dominated at the plate, hitting .417 and scoring a series-high 10 hits. Snider led the winners, batting .320 with four homers and seven RBIs.
One Game 7 ticket bears Snider’s signature, preserving the comeback and the night Brooklyn finished the job.
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.