MLB great Yogi Berra gets his due in ‘It Ain’t Over’
When the conversation drifts to the GOAT in baseball, it’s usually the Babe or Willie or some might even choose that cheating Barry Bonds.
And the best catcher of all-time? Most voters choose Johnny Bench of the great Big Red Machine.
Hogwash.
Where is the respect for Lawrence Peter “Yogi” Berra? His case for GOAT is rock solid.
He made the All-Star team in 18 of the 19 seasons he played.
He was a three-time MVP, more than Mays or Bench. He was the league MVP runnerup twice, finished third once and fourth once. That’s seven straight seasons he was in the top four!
And, he won the World Series 10 times, more than anyone ever, except maybe Little League or the three I league in Piedmont.
No, Yogi was one of the best, maybe the best.
In 1952, he came to bat 656 times and struck out 12 times. Think of that, roll that one around your tongue a few times -- 12 whiffs in 656 plate appearances. And remember, he wasn’t some slap hitter like Nellie Fox. No, Yogi hit 28 home runs that season, meaning he hit twice as many homers as he struck out. Mike Trout would have to hit over 300 home runs in a season to match that mind-boggling stat.
How tough and durable was Yogi? In a 22-inning game in 1962, he caught all 316 pitches.
Defense? He went 148 straight games without an error. He threw out 48% of attempted base stealers.
Maybe it was because Yogi didn’t look the part. He was a 5-foot-7 catcher. Guys like Bench, Gary Carter and Carlton Fisk towered over him.
Or maybe it was because he was so well-known for those famous Yogisms (“Nobody goes there any more, it’s too crowded”).
In his excellent book, “The Baseball 100”, Joe Posnanski ranks the top 100 players in history. Yogi Berra is No. 48. Criminal.
Let’s compare Berra to Bench:
Career batting average: Berra. 285; Bench .267
World Series appearances: Berra 14; Bench 4
World Series wins: Berra 10; Bench 2
Career home runs: Berra 358; Bench 389
There’s a new documentary out about Yogi, “It Ain’t Over”
In it long-time fan Billy Crystal calls Yogi “The most underrated superstar of all-time.”
Look, I’m not saying Yogi was the best of all time, but he certainly should be in the conversation.
*****
More on Yogi: Berra made $732,000 in his 19-year career. Major league minimum is nearly that at $600,000.
He was a WWII veteran and was on the beach in Normandy on D-Day.
When his long-time teammate Phil Rizzuto had to go to an assisted living home in New Jersey, Yogi visited him every day!
Lawrence Peter Berra. ONE of a kind!
Pete Donovan is a Palm Desert resident and former Los Angeles Times sports reporter. He can be reached at pwdonovan22@yahoo.com
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: MLB great Yogi Berra gets his due in ‘It Ain’t Over’
