Yogi Berra Fast Facts
CNN Editorial Research
(CNN) — Here is a look at the life of Baseball Hall of Fame player Yogi Berra.
Personal
Birth date: May 12, 1925
Death date: September 22, 2015
Birth place: St. Louis, Missouri
Birth name: Lawrence Peter Berra
Father: Pietro Berra, bricklayer
Mother: Paulina Berra
Marriage: Carmen (Short) Berra (January 26, 1949-March 6, 2014, her death)
Children: Larry, Tim and Dale
Military service: US Navy, 1943
Other Facts
The name “Yogi” comes from a childhood friend who said a character in a movie looked like Berra.
Left school after the 8th grade to work and play American Legion baseball.
Holds several World Series records, including hits (71); times on a winning team (10); first in doubles, second in RBI’s, third in home runs, and hit the first pinch-hit home run in World Series history in 1947.
Known for making humorous but disjointed statements, such as “It ain’t over ‘til it’s over,” “when you come to a fork in the road, take it,” and “it’s deja vu, all over again.”
Timeline
1943 – Signs with the New York Yankees; plays with the Norfolk Tars of the Class B Piedmont League before being drafted.
1946 – Plays with the Newark Bears, the Yankees’ top affiliate; moves up to the Yankees towards the end of the season and hits a home run against the Philadelphia A’s in his first game.
1951, 1954, and 1955 – Wins the American League MVP award.
1956 – Catches while Don Larsen pitches a perfect game in the 1956 World Series.
1963 – Last season playing for the Yankees.
1964 – Is named manager of the Yankees, but is fired after the Yankees lose to the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series.
1965 – Moves to the New York Mets as a player and coach.
1972 – Is named manager of the Mets.
1972 – Is elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
1975 – Is fired from the Mets.
1976 – Is hired by the Yankees as a coach.
1984 – Is named manager of the Yankees.
1985 – George Steinbrenner fires Berra after only 22 games.
1986-1992 – Coaches for the Houston Astros until he retires.
December 1998 – Montclair State University opens the Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center in Little Falls, New Jersey.
2005 – Sues Turner Broadcasting for $10 million after the company uses his name without permission in a suggestive ad for “Sex and the City.” The lawsuit is later settled out of court for an undisclosed amount.
May 4, 2008 – Berra is inducted into the inaugural class of the New Jersey Hall of Fame, along with Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein and Bruce Springsteen.
April 16, 2009 – Berra throws out the ceremonial first pitch at the opening of the new Yankees Stadium.
September 22, 2015 – Dies at age 90.
November 24, 2015 – Is awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama. Berra’s son, Larry, accepts on his behalf.
June 24, 2021 – The United States Postal Service issues a Yogi Berra stamp.
May 12, 2023 – “It Ain’t Over,” a documentary about Berra opens in theaters.
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