Yogi Berra, the Hall of Fame catcher renowned as much for his dizzying malapropisms as his record 10 World Series championships with the New York Yankees, died on Wednesday. He was 90.
Berra died of natural causes at his home in New Jersey, according to Dave Kaplan, the director of the Yogi Berra Museum.
“While we mourn the loss of our father, grandfather and great-grandfather, we know he is at peace with Mom,” Berra’s family said in a statement released by the museum. “We celebrate his remarkable life, and are thankful he meant so much to so many. He will truly be missed.”
Short, squat and with a homely face, Berra was a legendary Yankee who helped the team reach 14 World Series during his 18 seasons in the Bronx. Berra played in more World Series games than any other Major League Baseball player, and was a three-time American League Most Valuable Player.
But his name appears almost as often in Bartlett’s Famous Quotations as it does in baseball’s record book. “It ain’t over ‘til it’s over” is among eight “Yogi-isms” included in Bartlett’s.
“When I’m sittin’ down to dinner with the family, stuff just pops out. And they’ll say, ‘Dad, you just said another one.’ And I don’t even know what the heck I said,” Berra insisted.
Berra played for the Yankees from 1949-65. His teammates included fellow Hall of Famers Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle and Whitey Ford.
In 1956, he caught the only perfect game in World Series history and after the last out leaped into pitcher Don Larsen’s arms. The famous moment was captured in photographs published in newspapers around the world. After his playing days, Berra coached or managed the Yankees, New York Mets and Houston Astros. He led both the Yankees and Mets to pennants.
In 1985, his firing as manager by the Yankees 16 games into the season sparked a feud with owner George Steinbrenner. Berra vowed never to return to Yankee Stadium as long was Steinbrenner owned the team.
But in 1999, Berra finally relented, throwing out the ceremonial first pitch of the Yankees’ season-opening game. Berra, the son of Italian immigrants, got his nickname while growing up in St. Louis. Among his amateur baseball teammates was Jack McGuire, another future MLB player.
“Some of us went to a movie with a yogi in it and afterwards Jack began calling me Yogi. It stuck,” Berra told the Saturday Evening Post. Berra, who played in 15 straight MLB All—Star Games, never earned more than $65,000 a season. Growing up, he was anything but a natural.
Chunky and slow, Berra was rejected by his hometown St. Louis Cardinals after a tryout in 1943. But a Yankee scout recognized his potential and signed him.
“I don’t care who the hitter is,” New York manager Casey Stengel told the New York Journal—American. “(Berra) knows just how he should be pitched to.”
Berra was AL Most Valuable Player in 1951, 1954 and 1955. He holds World Series records for most hits (71) and most games (75).
“You never think of that when you’re a kid,” Berra said. “But egads, you gotta be somethin’ to get in.”
Lawrence Peter Berra was born in St. Louis on May 12, 1925, the son of Pietro, a laborer in a brickyard, and Pauline Berra. He grew up in “The Hill,” or Italian district, with three older brothers and a younger sister.
Berra was forced to drop out of school in the eighth grade and go to work to help support his family. He took jobs in a coal yard, as a truck driver and in a shoe factory.
In 1943, his first professional season with the Yankees’ farm team in Norfolk, Virginia, was interrupted by World War II. He joined the Navy and later served on a gunboat supporting the D—Day invasion.
Berra married his wife, Carmen, in 1949. The couple, who met in St. Louis, had three sons, including Dale Berra, who played in the major leagues as an infielder.
Berra published three books- his autobiography in 1961, “It Ain’t Over ...” in 1989 and “The Yogi Book- I Really Didn’t Say Everything I Said” in 1998. The last made The New York Times’ best seller list.
In 1996, Berra was awarded an honorary doctorate from the state university in Montclair, New Jersey, where he and his family lived. The university also named its baseball stadium for Berra. The adjoining Yogi Berra Museum opened in 1998.
The museum houses Berra memorabilia, including what he said was his most prized possession, the mitt he used to catch Larsen’s perfect game.
“I don’t know,” he said. “Why don’t you surprise me?”
