Yogi Berra was not only a Hall of Fame recipient for the New York Yankees, but he was also an animated entertainer, to say the least. Berra is a rare social commentator who can assess a situation in a way you’ll surely never forget. Yogi once said, “You can observe a lot just by looking.”

Many of Yogi’s “observations” are now used in our daily lives. Some of the yogi quotes are:

  • “A penny is not worth a penny anymore”
  • “It’s not over until it’s over.”
  • “Half the lies they tell about me aren’t true.”
  • “How can you think and hit at the same time?”
  • “I never said most of the things I did say.”

As a catcher, Berra was unmatched during his time. He could jump out of his crouch like a wildcat, turning bunts into double plays and twisting pop ups into easy outs. From 1957 to 1959 he played 148 games without an error. During that time he managed a record 950 chances behind the plate without an error.

As a hitter, Yogi Berra broke almost every power record for catchers in the American League. He drove pitchers crazy with his ability to get big hits off bad pitches outside the strike zone.

The Yankees had some tremendous teams from 1949 to 1955. It was Berra who led the Yankees in each of those seasons. He five times he drove in more than 100 runs in a season. For 10 straight years he hit 20 or more home runs. He did all this without being a strikeout hitter. In one season (in 1950) he had 597 at-bats but only struck out 12 times.

did you know

  • Yogi Berra was the second man in Major League Baseball history to manage his own son. In 1985, his son Dale Berra became a Yankee.
  • He was greatly admired for his business sense. He invested in everything from bowling alleys to YooHoo during the 1950s. All of his investments made him a wealthy man.
  • Yogi won pennants as coach of the 1964 Yankees and the 1973 New York Mets.

Yogi Berra Timeline Biography

  • Born: May 12, 1925 in St. Louis Missouri
  • 9 years old: Yogo sold 300 newspapers to help his family.
  • 15 years old His friends called him “Yogi” because he looked like a movie character.
  • Age 17: Signed by the New York Yankees for $90 per month
  • Age 21: Join the Yankees at the end of the 1946 season
  • 1952 – Sets the AL mark for home runs by a catcher
  • 1955: wins third MVP award
  • 1958: Catch the entire season with no mistakes