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Yogi Berra - 15 Facts About The Legendary Catcher

Who was the greatest catcher to ever live? 

I don't know about you, but for me, Yogi Berra immediately comes to mind.

Yogi had an incredible career not only as a longtime catcher for the New York Yankees but as a manager and coach as well. 

This article takes a look at the legendary catcher and showcases 15 interesting facts about his career. Read on to learn more!

Awards and Records

How Many World Series Rings Does Yogi Berra Have?

He has ten (10) World Series rings, all earned with the New York Yankees. 

This is a remarkable achievement, and it stands as the most World Series titles of any player in MLB history. 

What Records Does he Hold?

Yogi shares or is in sole possession of first place for five key records held by a catcher, as detailed in our article on catchers statistics.

First, he has the most World Series championships of any player in baseball history.

Second, he has the most career RBIs by a catcher with 1,430.

Third, he has the most all star game appearances (18) of any catcher in history.

Fourth, he's tied with Brooklyn Dodgers catcher Roy Campanella for most league MVPs (3) won by a catcher.

Lastly, he's among 13 MLB catchers to have a perfect fielding percentage behind the plate with a minimum of 77 games in a season. He achieved this last feat in 1958.

Is he in the Hall of Fame?

Yes, Yogi is in the Hall of Fame. He is one of 19 career catchers enshrined in Cooperstown.

He was inducted in 1972, which was actually his second year on the ballot.

Looking back, it's a bit shocking that a player of his caliber was not a first ballot hall of famer! 

How Many MVPs did he Win?

Berra won three MVPs, which is tied with Roy Campanella as the most MVP awards all-time by a catcher, as mentioned above.

He won his American League (AL) MVP awards in 1951, 1954 and 1955.

He was also in the running for the MVP award in 12 different seasons.

Offense

How Many At Bats Did he Have?

Berra had approximately 7,555 at bats during his 19 seasons playing in the major leagues.

Did he Win a Batting Title?

No, he never won a league batting title. His highest batting average in a season (with more than 200 at bats) was in 1950, where he hit .322.

How Many Hits Does he Have?

Yogi Berra collected 2,150 hits over 19 seasons in the big leagues. That's good for seventh best among catchers all time.

How Many Times Did he Strikeout in his Career?

Yogi struck out only 414 times in his career. It's an average of just 32 strikeouts per 162 game season.

To help put that low number in perspective, one of baseball's best catchers today - J.T. Realmuto - struck out 129 times during the 2021 season alone.  

Defense

How Many Games did he Play as a Catcher?

Yogi played in approximately 1,699 MLB games as a catcher and he started in 1,641 (97%) of them.

Did he Play Outfield?

Yes, believe it or not Berra did play outfield. In fact, he appeared in approximately 260 games in the outfield, which is 13% of all MLB games he played in.

Of note, he also played two career games at first base and one game at third.

Other Facts

Where Did he Serve in the Military?

Berra served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. 

He enlisted in late 1943 and served until 1945. He was a gunner's mate in the Navy and, interesting enough, he fought offshore during the D-Day invasion of Normandy in June 1944.

What Year was he a Rookie?

His big league debut occurred on September 22, 1946 in a home game against the Philadelphia Athletics. Since that took place near the end of the season, Yogi’s true rookie year was 1947. 

That season, he hit .280/.310/.464 in 306 plate appearances.

How Much is his Rookie Card Worth?

Berra's rookie card is the 1948 Bowman # 6.

There's only one PSA graded gem mint 10 in existence, and it sold in 2017 for nearly $200,000.

A more "common" EX - MT 6 graded by PSA is typically valued anywhere between $1,100 - $1,800.

Did he Win a World Series as a Manager?

No, he did not win a World Series as a Manager.

However, he did appear in two World Series' as a Manager. Berra led the Yankees to the 1964 World Series against Bob Gibson and the St. Louis Cardinals. Also, he led the New York Mets to the 1973 World Series against the Oakland Athletics.

In both instances his teams lost the Series in seven games.

Please note: he did earn a World Series ring with the 1969 New York Mets as a coach, but not the Manager.

How Many Years Did he Manage?

He managed in all or part of seven big league seasons. 

Three of those seasons were spent with the Yankees (1964, 1984, 1985), and four were with the New York Mets (1972 - 1975). 

Thanks for Reading!

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If we can answer any questions or if you'd like to get in touch, please don't hesitate to contact us.

 

Sources:

• Baseball Reference
• National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
• Retrosheet
• Yogi Berra Museum & Learning Center