Carl Yastrzemski

From SoSH

Carl Michael Yastrzemski was born August 22, 1939 in Southampton, New York. He had an excellent 23-year career, playing only for the Boston Red Sox. Primarily a left fielder, he played some first base and served as a designated hitter as he aged. His major league career started in 1961 and lasted until he retired in 1983. He entered the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility (1989).

Contents 1 Overall Career 2 Awards 3 Achievements 4 Red Sox Career Records 5 Moment in the Sun 6 Trivia 7 Quotes 7.1 By Yaz 8 External Links

Overall Career

In 1959 Yastrzemski signed with the Red Sox organization, which sent him to the minor-league Raleigh Capitals where he led the league with a .377 batting average and winning League MVP honors. He then moved to the Minneapolis Millers for the post-season and the 1960 season. He began his major-league career in 1961. From the beginning, there was tremendous pressure on him to perform, as he succeeded to the position of Sox legend Ted Williams. He would prove to be a worthy successor at the plate, and a far superior defensive player.

His first two years were viewed as solid but unspectacular. However, he emerged as a rising star in 1963, winning the American League batting championship with a batting average of .321, and also leading the league in doubles and walks.

Yastrzemski enjoyed his best season in 1967, when he won the American League Triple Crown with a .326 batting average, 44 home runs (tied with Harmon Killebrew) and 121 RBI. He is the last hitter to have won the Triple Crown as of the 2006 season (five different pitchers have since won the pitchers' version). He was voted Most Valuable Player almost unanimously.

In 1969, he hit the first of 2 straight 40 home run seasons as he led the Red Sox to third-place finishes that year and the next. Yaz got four hits and won the All-Star Game MVP in 1970, although the American League lost. His .329 batting average that season was his career high. He hit but 61 homers over the next four years as the Red Sox finished second twice and third twice.

Yastrzemski retired in 1983 at the age of 44. His final career statistics include 3,308 games played (second all-time), 452 home runs, 1,844 RBI, and a batting average of .285. He had 1,845 walks in his career, sixth all-time. Yaz was the first player to ever collect over 3,000 hits and 400 home runs solely in the American League, the feat has since been accomplished by Cal Ripken Jr. He also won seven Gold Glove Awards in his career.

Awards

• Elected to Hall of Fame by Baseball Writers in 1989 (94.63%)

• 18-Time American League All-Star (1963, 1965 - 1979, 1982, 1983)
• 7-Time American League Gold Glove (1963, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1971, 1977)
• 1967 Hutch Award Winner
• 1967 American Leauge MVP
• 1967 Major League Player of the Year
• 1967 American League Triple Crown
• 1970 Major League All-Star Game MVP

Achievements

• Member of the 3,000 Hit Club (3,419 Hits)

• 3-Time American League Leader in Batting Average (1963, 1967, 1968)
• 5-Time American League Leader in On-Base Percentage (1963, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1970)
• 3-Time American League Leader in Slugging Percentage (1965, 1967, 1970)
• 4-Time American League Leader in OPS (1965, 1967, 1968, 1970)
• 3-Time American League Leader in Runs (1965, 1970, 1974)
• 2-Time American League Leader in Hits (1963, 1967)
• 2-Time American League Leader in Total Bases (1967, 1970)
• 3-Time American League Leader in Doubles (1963, 1965, 1966)
• 2-Time American League Leader in Walks (1963, 1968)
• 1967 American League Leader in Home Runs
• 1967 American League Leader in Run Batted In
• 1967 American League Leader in Extra-Base Hits

Red Sox Career Records

• Games, most: 3,308
• At-Bats, most: 11,988
• Runs, most: 1,816
• Hits, most: 3,419
• Doubles, most: 646
• Runs Batted In, most: 1,844
• Total Bases, most: 5,539
• Extra Base Hits, most: 1,157

Moment in the Sun

• April 14, 1965: At Washington, Yaz hits for the cycle.
• May 14, 1965: At Fenway, Yaz hits for the cycle, and adds a 2nd homer.
• June 9, 1967: At Fenway, Yaz earns standing ovations as he makes two great catches and poles two home runs in the Red Sox 8–7 win over the Senators.
• October 1, 1967: Boston clinches the American League pennant with a 5–3 win over Minnesota. Yaz goes 4-for-4 and has 10 hits in his final 13 at bats to grab the Triple Crown (.326, 44, 121).
• November 15, 1967: Boston's Yaz is the overwhelming selection as the American League's MVP. The Triple-crown winner misses unanimity by one vote, which goes to Cesar Tovar (.267, six home run, 47 RBI).

Trivia

• In 1968 Yastrzemski again won the batting championship. Because of the competitive advantages pitchers enjoyed between 1963 and 1968 Yastrzemski's .301 mark in "The Year of the Pitcher" is the lowest average of any batting champion in major league history.

• No player has had a longer career with only one team, 23 seasons, a record which he shares with Brooks Robinson of the Baltimore Orioles.

• September 15, 1959: Yaz plays for Minneapolis (AAA), but the game is protested by Omaha because Yaz is not eligible to play until OF Lee Howell leaves for military duty on the 18th.

• In his autobiography "Yaz", Carl stated that up until about the All-Star break in 1983, he was planning on playing in 1984. That is until he fell into a long slump and finally grew tired of the long grind of another season. He also stated that had he known how good Roger Clemens would be he would have come back for the 1984 season regardless to have a chance to play with him.

• In 1967, he got his own song.

Quotes

By Yaz

• "I loved the game. I loved the competition. But I never had any fun. I never enjoyed it. All hard work all the time."
• "I think about baseball when I wake up in the morning. I think about it all day & I dream about it at night. The only time I don't think about it is when I'm playing it. "
• "You don't always make an out. Sometimes the pitcher gets you out."
• "And if I have my choice between a pennant and a triple crown, I'll take the pennant every time."

External Links

• TheBaseballCube.com - Career Statistics and Analysis
• Baseball-Reference.com - Career Statistics and Analysis
• Carl Yastrzemski: Hall of Fame Page