View source for Yogi Berra

{{Short description|American baseball player, manager, and coach (1925–2015)}}
{{Distinguish|Yogi Bear}}
{{Use American English|date=November 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2015}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
|image=Yogi Berra (1957) (cropped).jpg
|caption=Berra with the New York Yankees in 1957
|position=[[Catcher]] / [[Manager (baseball)|Manager]]
|birth_date={{birth date|1925|5|12}}
|birth_place=[[St. Louis]], Missouri, U.S.
|death_date={{death date and age|2015|9|22|1925|5|12}}
|death_place=[[West Caldwell, New Jersey]], U.S.
|bats=Left
|throws=Right
|debutleague=MLB
|debutdate=September 22
|debutyear=1946
|debutteam=New York Yankees
|finalleague=MLB
|finaldate=May 9
|finalyear=1965
|finalteam=New York Mets
|statleague=MLB
|stat1label=[[Batting average (baseball)|Batting average]]
|stat1value=.285
|stat2label=[[Hit (baseball)|Hits]]
|stat2value=2,150
|stat3label=[[Home run]]s
|stat3value=358
|stat4label=[[Run batted in|Runs batted in]]
|stat4value=1,430
|stat5label=Managerial record
|stat5value=484–444
|stat6label=Winning %
|stat6value=.522
 | teams       =
'''As player'''
* [[New York Yankees]] ({{mlby|1946}}–{{mlby|1963}})
* [[New York Mets]] ({{mlby|1965}})
'''As manager'''
* [[New York Yankees]] ({{mlby|1964}})
* [[New York Mets]] ({{mlby|1972}}–{{mlby|1975}})
* [[New York Yankees]] ({{mlby|1984}}–{{mlby|1985}})
'''As coach'''
* [[New York Mets]] ({{mlby|1965}}–{{mlby|1971}})
* [[New York Yankees]] ({{mlby|1976}}–{{mlby|1983}})
* [[Houston Astros]] ({{mlby|1986}}–{{mlby|1989}})
 | highlights  =
* 18× [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star]] ([[1948 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1948]]–[[1961 Major League Baseball All-Star Game (second game)|1961²]], [[1962 Major League Baseball All-Star Game (second game)|1962²]])
* 13× [[World Series champion]] ({{wsy|1947}}, {{wsy|1949}}–{{wsy|1953}}, {{wsy|1956}}, {{wsy|1958}}, {{wsy|1961}}, {{wsy|1962}}, {{wsy|1969}}, {{wsy|1977}}, {{wsy|1978}})
* 3× [[AL MVP]] (1951, 1954, 1955)
* [[New York Yankees#Retired numbers|New York Yankees No. 8]] retired
* [[Monument Park (Yankee Stadium)|Monument Park]] honoree
* [[Major League Baseball All-Century Team]]
 | hoflink     = National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
 | hoftype     = National
 | hofdate     = [[1972 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting|1972]]
 | hofvote     = 85.6% (second ballot)
|module=
{{Infobox military person
|embed        = yes
|branch       = [[United States Navy]]
|rank         = [[Seaman second class]]
|battles      = {{tree list}}
* World War II
**[[Normandy landings]]{{tree list/end}}
|unit         = [[Landing Craft Support]] gunner<ref name=milhro>{{cite web |url=https://www.mlb.com/news/yogi-berra-had-decorated-military-career-too/c-151195348 |publisher=Major League Baseball |last=Bloom |first=Barry M. |title=Yogi was military hero before a baseball star |date=September 23, 2015 |access-date=June 30, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180701002025/https://www.mlb.com/news/yogi-berra-had-decorated-military-career-too/c-151195348 |archive-date=July 1, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref>
|serviceyears = 1943–1945
|awards       = {{ubli|[[File:Purple Heart Medal.png|20px]] [[Purple Heart]]|[[File:United States Navy Presidential Unit Citation ribbon.svg|20px]] [[Distinguished Unit Citation]]|[[File:World War II Victory Medal ribbon.svg|20px]] [[World War II Victory Medal]]|[[File:American Campaign Medal ribbon.svg|20px]] [[American Campaign Medal]]|[[File:European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign ribbon.svg|20px]] [[European–African–Middle Eastern Campaign Medal]]}} 
}}}}

'''Lawrence Peter''' "'''Yogi'''" '''Berra''' (born '''Lorenzo Pietro Berra'''; May 12, 1925 – September 22, 2015) was an American professional [[baseball]] [[catcher]] who later took on the roles of [[Manager (baseball)|manager]] and [[Coach (baseball)|coach]]. He played 19 seasons in [[Major League Baseball]] (MLB) (1946–1963, 1965), all but the last for the [[New York Yankees]]. He was an 18-time [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star]] and won 10 [[World Series]] championships as a player—more than any other player in MLB history.<ref name = "SI"/> Berra had a career [[batting average (baseball)|batting average]] of .285, while hitting 358 [[home run]]s and 1,430 [[Run batted in|runs batted in]]. He is one of only six players to win the [[American League]] [[Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award|Most Valuable Player Award]] three times. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest catchers in baseball history,<ref name=NatBHoF>[http://www.baseballhall.org/hof/berra-yogi "Yogi Berra"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150413015127/http://www.baseballhall.org/hof/berra-yogi |date=April 13, 2015 }}. [[National Baseball Hall of Fame]]. Retrieved April 29, 2015</ref> and was elected to the [[National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum|Baseball Hall of Fame]] in [[1972 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting|1972]].

Berra was born in [[St. Louis]], in an Italian community, and signed with the Yankees in 1943 before serving in the [[United States Navy]] as a [[gunner's mate]] in the [[Normandy landings]] during [[World War II]]. He made his major-league debut at age 21 in 1946 and was a mainstay in the Yankees' lineup during the team's championship years beginning in 1949 and continuing through 1962. Berra was a [[power hitter]] and strong [[Catcher#Defensive plays|defensive catcher]], despite being shorter than most in the league at {{convert|5|ft|7|in|disp=sqbr}} tall. Berra played 18 seasons with the Yankees before retiring after the 1963 season. He spent the next year as their manager, then joined the [[New York Mets]] in 1965 as coach (and briefly a player again). Berra remained with the Mets for the next decade, serving the last four years as their manager. He returned to the Yankees in 1976, coaching them for eight seasons and managing for two, before coaching the [[Houston Astros]]. Berra appeared as a player, coach or manager in 13 of 15 World Series that New York baseball teams won from 1947 through 1981.<ref name = "SI">{{cite magazine |first=Joe |last=Posnanski |author-link=Joe Posnanski |title=Yogi Berra Will Be a Living Legend Even After He's Gone |magazine=Sports Illustrated |date=July 4, 2011 |page=66 |url=https://vault.si.com/vault/1008486#&gid=ci0258bfe4000326ef&pid=1008486---068---image|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201021163841/https://vault.si.com/vault/1008486#&gid=ci0258bfe4000326ef&pid=1008486---068---image|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 21, 2020}}</ref> Overall, he played or coached in 21 World Series, 13 on the winning side. Berra caught [[Don Larsen's perfect game]] in game five of the [[1956 World Series]]. He also holds the all-time record for shutouts caught with 173.<ref name="Shutouts"/>

The Yankees [[List of Major League Baseball retired numbers|retired]] his uniform number 8 in 1972; [[Bill Dickey]] had previously worn number 8, and both catchers had that number retired by the Yankees. The club honored him with a plaque in [[Monument Park (Yankee Stadium)|Monument Park]] in 1988. Berra was named to the [[Major League Baseball All-Century Team|MLB All-Century Team]] in a vote by fans in 1999. For the remainder of his life, he was closely involved with the [[Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center]], which he opened on the campus of [[Montclair State University]] in 1998. Berra quit school after the eighth grade.<ref name="Yogi Berra Museum">{{cite web
 | title = About Yogi Berra: Biography | publisher = Yogi Berra Museum & Learning Center | url=http://www.yogiberramuseum.org/about_biography.php | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111113162016/http://www.yogiberramuseum.org/about_biography.php | access-date = April 29, 2015 | archive-date = November 13, 2011}}</ref> He was known for his [[malapropism]]s as well as pithy and paradoxical statements, such as "It ain't over 'til it's over" and "I really didn't say everything I said."<ref name=NatBHoF /><ref name=YBQ>{{Cite book | title = The Yogi Book | last=Berra | first=Yogi | year = 1998 | publisher = [[Workman Publishing]] | location = New York | page = 9 | isbn = 0-7611-1090-9}}</ref>

==Early life==
Berra was born Lorenzo Pietro Berra in a primarily Italian neighborhood of St. Louis called [[The Hill, St. Louis|The Hill]] on May 12, 1925. His parents were Italian [[Immigration|immigrants]] Pietro and Paolina ({{nee|Longoni}}) Berra.<ref>{{Cite book | title = Yogi: The Life & Times of an American Original | last = DeVito | first = Carlo | year = 2014 | publisher = Triumph Books | location = Chicago | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=4dH0AgAAQBAJ | isbn = 9781572439450 | pages = 1–5 | access-date = October 9, 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160514123955/https://books.google.com/books?id=4dH0AgAAQBAJ | archive-date = May 14, 2016 | url-status = live }}</ref> Pietro was originally from Malvaglio near [[Milan]]; he arrived at [[Ellis Island]] on October 18, 1909, at the age of 23.<ref>Williams, Dave (April 1, 2013). [https://books.google.com/books?id=jGgyvJVHMIwC&q=YogiBerra%2CPietro%2COctober18%2C1909&pg=PA170 ''Bridging Two Dynasties: The 1947 New York Yankees''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150904042108/https://books.google.com/books?id=jGgyvJVHMIwC&pg=PA170&lpg=PA170&dq=Yogi+Berra,+Pietro,+October+18,+1909&source=bl&ots=cJDBtoois4&sig=pHT2nt6_ainkKUmXDZgulviCzcc&hl=en&sa=X&ei=6IpBVZrPOYOZNp_ugbAJ&ved=0CDEQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=YogiBerra%2CPietro%2COctober18%2C1909&f=false |date=September 4, 2015 }}. Society for American Baseball Research. [[University of Nebraska Press]]. Chapter 44: Yogi Berra. p. 170. Archived at [[Google Books]]. Retrieved April 29, 2015.</ref> In a 2005 interview for the Baseball Hall of Fame, Berra said, "My father came over first. He came from the old country. And he didn't know what baseball was. He was ready to go to work. And then I had three other brothers and a sister. My brother and my mother came over later on. My two oldest brothers, they were born there—Mike and Tony. John and I and my sister Josie were born in St. Louis."<ref>{{cite web |title = Philosopher of the Diamond |publisher = [[American Academy of Achievement]] |work = The Achievers |date=June 1, 2015 |url = https://www.achievement.org/achiever/yogi-berra/#interview |access-date = April 1, 2019 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190102100658/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/yogi-berra#interview |archive-date = January 2, 2019 |url-status = live }}</ref>

Berra's parents originally gave him the [[nickname]] "Lawdie", which was derived from his mother's difficulty pronouncing "Lawrence" or "Larry" correctly. He grew up on Elizabeth Avenue, across the street from boyhood friend and later competitor [[Joe Garagiola]]. That block was also home to [[Jack Buck]] early in his Cardinals broadcasting career, and it was later renamed "Hall of Fame Place".<ref>{{Cite news | title = An Incubator of Baseball Talent | last = Waldstein | first = David | newspaper = [[The New York Times]] | page = B14 | url = https://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/21/sports/baseball/an-incubator-of-baseball-talent.html | date = October 21, 2011 | access-date = August 10, 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120107212518/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/21/sports/baseball/an-incubator-of-baseball-talent.html | archive-date = January 7, 2012 | url-status = live }}</ref> Berra was a [[Catholic Church|Catholic]],<ref>{{Cite news | title = Yogi | last=Blount | first=Roy Jr. |author-link=Roy Blount Jr. | newspaper = [[Sports Illustrated]] | url = http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1121965/index.htm
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110811023920/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1121965/index.htm
 | date = April 2, 1984 | access-date = November 1, 2011 | archive-date = August 11, 2011}}</ref> and he attended South Side Catholic, now called [[St. Mary's High School (St. Louis)|St. Mary's High School]], in south St. Louis with Garagiola. Berra left school after the eighth grade due to a desire to work and assist the family’s finances. He has been inducted into the [[St. Louis Walk of Fame]].<ref>{{cite web | title = Yogi Berra | work = St. Louis Walk of Fame  | url = http://stlouiswalkoffame.org/inductee/yogi-berra/ | access-date = 2020-12-17 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201027013025/http://stlouiswalkoffame.org/inductee/yogi-berra/ | archive-date = 2020-10-27 | url-status = live}}</ref>

He began playing baseball in local [[American Legion Baseball]] leagues, where he learned the basics of catching while playing both outfield and infield positions. While playing in American Legion Baseball, he received the nickname "Yogi" from his friend [[Jack Maguire (baseball)|Jack Maguire]], who, after seeing a newsreel about India,<ref>{{cite web | url=http://baseballhall.org/hof/berra-yogi | title=Yogi Berra | publisher=[[Baseball Hall of Fame]] | access-date=November 7, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717213216/http://baseballhall.org/hof/berra-yogi | archive-date=July 17, 2011 | url-status=live }}</ref> said that he resembled a [[yogi]] from [[India]] whenever he sat around with arms and legs crossed waiting to bat or while looking sad after a losing game.<ref>{{cite magazine | title = Yogi Berra: catcher, 76, Montclair, New Jersey. (What I've Learned) | last = Raab | first = Scott |author-link=Scott Raab| magazine = [[Esquire (magazine)|Esquire]] | url = http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-80850621.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070606133038/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-80850621.html | url-status = dead | archive-date = June 6, 2007 | date = January 1, 2002 | access-date = February 24, 2013}} {{subscription required|date=February 2013}}</ref>

==Professional baseball career==

===Minor leagues===
In 1942, the [[St. Louis Cardinals]] overlooked Berra in favor of his boyhood best friend, [[Joe Garagiola]]. On the surface, the Cardinals seemed to think that Garagiola was the superior prospect, but team president [[Branch Rickey]] actually had an ulterior motive. Rickey already knew that he was going to leave St. Louis to take over the operation of the [[History of the Brooklyn Dodgers|Brooklyn Dodgers]] and was more impressed with Berra than he let on; he apparently had planned to hold Berra off until he could sign him for the Dodgers.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.qotd.org/quotes/Yogi.Berra |title=Lawrence Peter 'Yogi' Berra |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131217182339/http://www.qotd.org/quotes/Yogi.Berra |archive-date=2013-12-17 |work=Quotes of the Day |url-status=dead}}</ref> However, the Yankees signed Berra for the same $500 bonus (${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|500|1942|r=-2}}}} in current dollar terms) the Cardinals offered Garagiola before Rickey could sign Berra to the Dodgers. Berra played for the [[Norfolk Tars]] in 1943.<ref>{{cite web |title=Before he was famous, Yogi Berra was a 17-year-old playing ball in Norfolk |url=https://www.pilotonline.com/2015/09/24/before-he-was-famous-yogi-berra-was-a-17-year-old-playing-ball-in-norfolk-2/ |website=The Virginian-Pilot |date=September 24, 2015 |access-date=4 June 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Lawrence "Yogi" Berra: All-Time Great |url=https://news.va.gov/86899/lawrence-yogi-berra-time-great/ |website=VA News |date=April 2021 |publisher=US Dept. of veterans Affairs |access-date=4 June 2023}}</ref>

====World War II and subsequent return to baseball====
Berra joined the [[United States Navy]] in 1943, and served as a [[gunner's mate]] on the attack transport {{USS|Bayfield|APA-33|6}} during the [[Normandy landings]].<ref>{{Cite news | title = Berra Calls 'em as He Sees 'em | last = Dorman | first = Larry | newspaper = The New York Times | page = B14 | url = https://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/20/sports/baseball/20yogi.html | date = January 19, 2010 | access-date = June 5, 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100129065308/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/20/sports/baseball/20yogi.html | archive-date = January 29, 2010 | url-status = live }}</ref> A seaman second class, Berra was one of a six-man crew on a Navy rocket boat, firing machine guns and launching rockets at the German defenses on [[Omaha Beach]]. He was wounded and awarded a [[Purple Heart]] medal.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.mlb.com/news/yogi-berra-had-decorated-military-career-too/c-151195348 | title=Yogi was military hero before a baseball star | website=[[MLB.com]] | date=September 23, 2015 }}</ref> During an interview on the 65th Anniversary of D-Day, Berra confirmed that he was sent to [[Utah Beach]] during the D-Day invasion as well.<ref name="museum">{{cite web |title = Military Service |work = yogiberramuseum.org |url = http://www.yogiberramuseum.org/militaria/ |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150925110216/http://yogiberramuseum.org/militaria/ |archive-date = September 25, 2015 |df = mdy-all}}</ref><ref>{{Cite AV media | title = 65 Year Anniversary of D-Day – Yogi Berra Feature | work = YouTube | url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpT8vkQ1rVw | date = June 8, 2009 | access-date = September 24, 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151123175240/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpT8vkQ1rVw | archive-date = November 23, 2015 | url-status = live }}</ref> His military records were burned in the [[National Personnel Records Center fire|St. Louis Archives fire in 1973]].

Following [[Operation Dragoon]], he was sent to Tunisia before returning to the United States in January 1945 and being stationed at [[Naval Submarine Base New London]]. While there, he played for the base's semi-pro baseball team. He also bribed guards to allow him to sneak off base and play for the [[Cranston, Rhode Island]], Chiefs for $50 a game under an assumed name, as he was already signed with the Yankees.<ref>{{cite web |title = More About Yogi |last = Iannuccilli |first = Ed |publisher = Italian American Writer |url = http://www.italianamericanwriter.com/?tag=yogi-berra |date = August 28, 2012 |access-date = August 15, 2013 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140308012740/http://www.italianamericanwriter.com/?tag=yogi-berra |archive-date = March 8, 2014 |df = mdy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Tucci |first1=Joseph |title='It Ain't Over' |url=https://digital.olivesoftware.com/olive/odn/danburynewstimes/default.aspx |website=Danbury News Times |publisher=Hearst CT Media |access-date=28 May 2023 |archive-date=February 27, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220227132701/https://digital.olivesoftware.com/olive/odn/danburynewstimes/default.aspx |url-status=dead }}</ref> He was honorably discharged in May 1946.<ref name="vanews">{{cite news |last1=Veronda |first1=Michael |title=Lawrence "Yogi" Berra: All-Time Great |url=https://news.va.gov/86899/lawrence-yogi-berra-time-great/ |access-date=15 December 2022 |work=VA News |publisher=[[United States Department of Veterans Affairs]] |date=1 April 2021}}</ref>

Following his military service, Berra played minor-league baseball with the [[Newark Bears (International League)|Newark Bears]], surprising the team's manager with his talent despite his short stature.<ref>{{Cite news | title = Yogi Berra at 90: Quips and quotes from a Yankees icon | last = Peter | first = Josh | newspaper = USA Today | url = https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2015/05/12/yogi-berra-celebrates-90-birthday-yogi-isms-baseball-icon/27153095/ | date = May 12, 2015 | access-date = September 22, 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150928025719/http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2015/05/12/yogi-berra-celebrates-90-birthday-yogi-isms-baseball-icon/27153095/ | archive-date = September 28, 2015 | url-status = live }}</ref> He was mentored by Hall of Famer [[Bill Dickey]], whose [[uniform number]] Berra took. He later said, "I owe everything I did in baseball to Bill Dickey."<ref>{{cite web | title = Bill Dickey | publisher = National Baseball Hall of Fame | url = http://baseballhall.org/hof/dickey-bill | access-date = September 22, 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111012172019/http://baseballhall.org/hof/dickey-bill | archive-date = October 12, 2011 | url-status = live }}</ref>

===Major leagues===
[[File:Yogi Berra, Hank Bauer, Mickey Mantle.jpg|thumb|upright=.75|Berra with [[Hank Bauer]] and [[Mickey Mantle]], [[1953 New York Yankees season|1953]]]]
Berra was called up to the Yankees and played his first game on September 22, 1946; he played 7 games that season and 83 games in 1947. He played in more than a hundred games in each of the following 14 years. Berra appeared in 14 [[World Series]], including 10 World Series championships, both of which are records. In part because Berra's playing career coincided with the Yankees' most consistent period of World Series participation, he established Series records for the most games (75), [[at bat]]s (259), [[Hit (baseball)|hits]] (71), [[Double (baseball)|doubles]] (10), [[Single (baseball)|singles]] (49), games caught (63), and catcher [[putout]]s (457). In Game 3 of the [[1947 World Series]], Berra hit the first pinch-hit home run in World Series history,<ref name="stats">{{cite web | title = Statistics | publisher = Yogi Berra Museum | url = http://yogiberramuseum.org/statistics/ | access-date = September 23, 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150923150442/http://yogiberramuseum.org/statistics/ | archive-date = September 23, 2015 | url-status = live }}</ref> off Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher [[Ralph Branca]] (who later gave up [[Bobby Thomson]]'s famous [[Shot Heard 'Round the World (baseball)|Shot Heard 'Round the World]] in 1951).<ref>{{Cite news | title = Yogi Berra dead at 90: Yankees legend, Baseball Hall of Famer was lovable character, American hero |last1=Marcius |first1=Chelsia Rose |first2=Larry |last2=McShane | last3 = Madden | first3 = Bill |author-link3=Bill Madden (sportswriter) | newspaper = [[New York Daily News|Daily News]] | url = http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/baseball-legend-yogi-berra-dead-90-mlb-article-1.2370848 | date = September 23, 2015 | access-date = September 23, 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150923141452/http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/baseball-legend-yogi-berra-dead-90-mlb-article-1.2370848 | archive-date = September 23, 2015 | url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news | title = Bobby Thomson Dies at 86; Hit Epic Home Run | last = Goldstein | first = Richard |author-link=Richard Goldstein (writer born 1942) | newspaper = The New York Times | url = https://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/18/sports/baseball/18thomson.html?_r=0 | date = August 17, 2010 | access-date = September 23, 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161007075314/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/18/sports/baseball/18thomson.html?_r=0 | archive-date = October 7, 2016 | url-status = live }}</ref>

Berra was an [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star]] for 15 seasons,<ref name=NatBHoF /> and was selected to 18 All-Star Games (MLB held two All-Star Games in 1959 through 1962<ref>Donnelly, Patrick (2012).[http://www.sportsdatallc.com/2012/07/09/midsummer-classics-celebrating-mlbs-all-star-game "Midsummer Classics: Celebrating MLB's All-Star Game"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150330031638/http://www.sportsdatallc.com/2012/07/09/midsummer-classics-celebrating-mlbs-all-star-game/ |date=March 30, 2015 }}. "there were two games a year from 1959 to 1962" ..."all players who were named to the AL or NL roster were credited one appearance per season." SportsData. Retrieved April 12, 2015</ref>).<ref>[https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/berrayo01.shtml "Yogi Berra"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180328055426/https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/berrayo01.shtml |date=March 28, 2018 }}. Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved April 29, 2015</ref> He won the American League (AL) [[Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award|MVP]] award in 1951, 1954, and 1955; Berra never finished lower than fourth in the MVP voting from 1950 to 1957.<ref name="stats" /> He received MVP votes in 15 consecutive seasons, tied with [[Barry Bonds]] and second only to [[Hank Aaron]]'s 19 straight seasons with MVP support.<ref>{{cite web | title = Yogi Berra Baseball Stats | publisher = Baseball Almanac | url = http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=berrayo01 | access-date = September 23, 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150925232145/http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=berrayo01 | archive-date = September 25, 2015 | url-status = live }}</ref> From 1949 to 1955, on a team filled with stars such as [[Mickey Mantle]] and [[Joe DiMaggio]], it was Berra who led the Yankees in [[Run batted in|RBI]] for seven consecutive seasons.<ref>''Collecting Sports Legends'' (2008) by Joe Orlando, pp. 84</ref> Probably the most notable game of Berra's playing career came when he caught [[Don Larsen]]'s [[Don Larsen's perfect game|perfect game]] in the [[1956 World Series]], the first of only three [[no-hitter]]s, and lone "perfecto"<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.mlb.com/news/all-time-perfect-games | title=A look at all 24 perfect games in AL/NL history | website=[[MLB.com]] }}</ref> ever thrown in [[MLB postseason]] play.<ref>[http://scores.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=301006122 "Roy Halladay throws second no-hitter in postseason history"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141005050118/http://scores.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=301006122 |date=October 5, 2014 }}. [[ESPN]]. October 7, 2010</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/boxscore/_/gameId/401467559|title=Astros 5-0 Phillies (Nov 2, 2022) Box Score|website=ESPN}}</ref> The picture of Berra leaping into Larsen's arms following Dale Mitchell's called third strike to end the game is one of the sport's most memorable images.<ref>{{Cite news | title = 56 years later, Don Larsen and Yogi Berra reminisce about perfect game | last = Klopsis | first = Nick | work = Newsday | url = https://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/yankees/56-years-later-don-larsen-and-yogi-berra-reminisce-about-perfect-game-b84403 | date = October 8, 2012 | access-date = September 22, 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150923180847/http://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/yankees/56-years-later-don-larsen-and-yogi-berra-reminisce-about-perfect-game-1.4089156 | archive-date = September 23, 2015 | url-status = live }}</ref>

====Playing style====
[[File:Yogi Berra and Mickey Mantle.jpg|thumb|upright=0.85|Berra with [[Mickey Mantle]] in 1956]]
Berra was excellent at hitting pitches outside of the strike zone, covering all areas of the [[strike zone]] (as well as beyond) with great extension. In addition to this wide plate coverage, he also had great bat control. He was able both to swing the [[Baseball bat|bat]] like a [[golf club]] to hit low pitches for deep home runs and to chop at high pitches for [[Batted ball|line drives]]. Whether changing speeds or location, pitcher [[Early Wynn]] soon discovered that "Berra moves right with you."<ref name=RK:OM>Kahn, Roger. (2003). [https://books.google.com/books?id=W-EI-7OhJ9QC&pg=PA174 "The Gathering Storm"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160514143930/https://books.google.com/books?id=W-EI-7OhJ9QC&pg=PA174 |date=May 14, 2016 }}. '' October Men: Reggie Jackson, George Steinbrenner, Billy Martin, and the Yankees' Miraculous Finish in 1978''. Orlando, Florida: Harcourt. p. 174. {{ISBN|0-15-100628-8}}. Retrieved September 18, 2015.</ref> Five times, Berra had more [[home run]]s than [[strikeout]]s in a season, striking out just twelve times in 597 at-bats in 1950. The combination of bat control and plate coverage made Berra a feared "[[clutch hitter]]", proclaimed by rival manager [[Paul Richards (baseball)|Paul Richards]] "the toughest man in the league in the last three innings". Contrasting him with teammate [[Mickey Mantle]], Wynn declared Berra "the real toughest clutch hitter", grouping him with Cleveland slugger [[Al Rosen]] as "the two best clutch hitters in the game".<ref name=RK:OM />

As a catcher, Berra was outstanding: quick, mobile, and a great handler of pitchers, Berra led all American League catchers eight times in games caught and in [[Total chances|chances accepted]], six times in [[double play]]s (a major-league record), eight times in putouts, three times in [[Assist (baseball)|assists]], and once in [[fielding percentage]]. Berra left the game with the AL records for catcher putouts (8,723) and chances accepted (9,520). He was also one of only four catchers ever to field 1.000 in a season, playing 88 errorless games in 1958. He was the first catcher to leave one finger outside his glove, a style that most other catchers eventually emulated.<ref>{{cite web | title = Berra was great, which was as close to good as possible | last = Acocella | first = Nick | publisher = ESPN | url = http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/classic/bio/news/story?page=Berra_Yogi | date = October 18, 2006 | access-date = November 29, 2010 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121107052231/http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/classic/bio/news/story?page=Berra_Yogi | archive-date = November 7, 2012 | url-status = dead }}</ref> [[Tom Sturdivant]], who pitched for the Yankees from 1955 to 1959, said "I can't say enough for Yogi Berra. It gives a young pitcher a lot of confidence to have a fellow like Berra calling the pitches. No one could set up the hitters better."<ref name="Sturdivant carried">{{cite web|page=33|last=Sheehan|first=Joseph M.|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1956/10/08/121453396.html?pageNumber=33|title=Sturdivant No New Hand at Rescue Operations|work=The New York Times|date=October 8, 1956|access-date=November 21, 2020}}</ref>

At age 37 in June 1962, Berra showed his superb physical endurance by catching an entire 22-inning, seven-hour game against the [[Detroit Tigers]].<ref>{{cite web | title = Sunday, June 24, 1962, New York Yankees | website = Baseball Reference | url = https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/DET/DET196206240.shtml | access-date = August 15, 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130918051525/http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/DET/DET196206240.shtml | archive-date = September 18, 2013 | url-status = live }}</ref> [[Casey Stengel]], Berra's manager during most of his playing career with the Yankees and with the Mets in 1965, once said, "I never play a game without my man."<ref name="Shutouts">{{Cite encyclopedia | title = Trivia December 2010 – Career Shutouts Caught | encyclopedia = The Encyclopedia of Baseball Catchers | url = http://bb_catchers.tripod.com/catchers/tmonth1.htm | access-date = 29 December 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180820234857/http://bb_catchers.tripod.com/catchers/tmonth1.htm | archive-date = August 20, 2018 | url-status = live }}</ref> Later in his career, Berra became a good defensive outfielder in [[Yankee Stadium (1923)|Yankee Stadium]]'s notoriously difficult left field.<ref>{{Cite book
 | title = The Yankee Encyclopedia | last = Gallagher | first = Mark | year = 2003 | page = 31}}</ref>

====Yankee manager and harmonica incident====
[[File:Yogi Berra 1969.jpg|thumb|upright=.75|Berra as the Mets' first base coach, [[1969 New York Mets season|1969]]]]
After spending {{mlby|1963}} as a player-coach—he appeared in 64 games (35 as a catcher and 29 as a pinch hitter, batting .293 in 164 at bats), and held down the Yankee's first-base coaching job otherwise—Berra retired as an active player after the [[1963 World Series]] and was immediately named to succeed [[Ralph Houk]] as manager of the Yankees.

The so-called [[Harmonica Incident]] occurred aboard the team bus in August 1964. Following a loss, infielder [[Phil Linz]] was playing his harmonica, and Berra ordered him to stop. Seated on the other end of the bus, Linz could not hear what Berra had said, and [[Mickey Mantle]] impishly informed Linz, "He said to play it louder." When Linz did so, an angry Berra slapped the harmonica out of his hands.<ref>{{Cite book | title = Ball Four | last = Bouton | first = Jim | year = 1970 | publisher = Wiley | location = New York | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=3cgcAQAAIAAJ | isbn = 9780020306658 | access-date = October 9, 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160424072547/https://books.google.com/books?id=3cgcAQAAIAAJ | archive-date = April 24, 2016 | url-status = live }}</ref>

All was apparently forgotten when the Yankees rode a September surge to return to the World Series, but the team lost to the [[St. Louis Cardinals]] in seven games, after which Berra was fired. Houk, who was general manager at the time, later said the decision to fire Berra was made in late August and that the incident with Linz had nothing to do with it. Although he did not elaborate, Houk said that he and the rest of the Yankee brain trust did not feel Berra was ready to manage.<ref name=Houk1965>{{cite news | title = Notes: His biggest mistake was Yogi, Houk says | last = Reichler | first = Joe | newspaper = [[The Tuscaloosa News]] | agency = Associated Press | url = https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1817&dat=19650228&id=ZRQfAAAAIBAJ&pg=4087,3836543 | date = February 28, 1965 | access-date = July 14, 2014 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160506015253/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1817&dat=19650228&id=ZRQfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=EJsEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4087,3836543 | archive-date = May 6, 2016 | url-status = live }}</ref> Players, however, said the incident actually solidified his managerial authority and helped him lead them to the Series.<ref name="DeVito book">{{Cite book | title = Yogi: The Life & Times of an American Original | last1 = DeVito | first1 = Carlo | publisher = Triumph Books | page = 244 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=3tD0AgAAQBAJ&pg=PA244 | date = 2014 | access-date = August 8, 2015 | isbn = 9781600789663 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160514083814/https://books.google.com/books?id=3tD0AgAAQBAJ&pg=PA244 | archive-date = May 14, 2016 | url-status = live }}</ref>

====Coach of the New York Mets and Houston Astros====
Berra was immediately signed by the crosstown [[New York Mets]] as a coach. He also put in four cameo appearances as a catcher early in the season. His last at-bat came on May 9, 1965, three days shy of his 40th birthday. Berra stayed with the Mets as a coach under Stengel, [[Wes Westrum]], [[Salty Parker]], and [[Gil Hodges]] for the next seven seasons, including their 1969 World Series championship season. He then became the team's manager in 1972, following Hodges' unexpected death in spring training.<ref>{{Cite news | title = Remembering 'Grampa' Yogi's Mets career | last = Berra | first = Lindsay | agency = MLB.com | url = http://m.mlb.com/news/article/53533004/ | date = July 12, 2013 | access-date = September 22, 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150923142157/http://m.mlb.com/news/article/53533004/ | archive-date = September 23, 2015 | url-status = dead }}</ref>

The following season looked like a disappointment at first. Injuries plagued the Mets throughout the season. Midway through the 1973 season, the Mets were stuck in last place but in a very tight divisional race. In July, when a reporter asked Yogi if the season was over, he replied, "It ain't over 'til it's over."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-34324865|title=How people started saying 'It ain't over till it's over'|work=BBC.com|date=September 23, 2015|access-date=February 15, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170216062330/http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-34324865|archive-date=February 16, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

As the Mets' key players came back to the lineup, a late surge allowed them to win the NL East despite an 82–79 record, making it the only time from 1970 through 1980 that the NL East was not won by either their [[Mets–Phillies rivalry|rival]] [[Philadelphia Phillies]] or the [[Pittsburgh Pirates]].<ref name=ExclusiveReign>{{cite web |title = Notes: Phils–Pirates rivalry fading |last = Von Benko |first = George |publisher = Major League Baseball |website = Philadelphia Phillies |quote = From 1974 to 1980, the [[Philadelphia Phillies|Phillies]] and [[Pittsburgh Pirates|Pirates]] won all seven National League East titles (Phillies four, Pirates three). |url = http://philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20050707&content_id=1119893&vkey=news_phi&fext=.jsp&c_id=phi |date = July 7, 2005 |access-date = January 3, 2011 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110714103810/http://philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20050707&content_id=1119893&vkey=news_phi&fext=.jsp&c_id=phi |archive-date = July 14, 2011 |df= mdy-all}}</ref><ref name=PiratesFirstThreePeat>{{Cite news | title = Pirates perform rare three-peat feat 4–2| newspaper = USA Today | page = 5C | quote = The Pirates...won three (NL East titles) in a row from 1970 to 1972. | date = September 28, 1992}}</ref> When the Mets faced the 99-win Cincinnati Reds in the [[1973 National League Championship Series]], a memorable fight erupted between [[Bud Harrelson]] and [[Pete Rose]] in the top of the fifth inning of game three. After the incident and the ensuing bench-clearing brawl had subsided, fans began throwing objects at Rose when he returned to his position in left field in the bottom half of the inning. [[Sparky Anderson]] pulled Rose and his Reds off the field until order was restored. When National League president [[Chub Feeney]] threatened the Mets with a forfeit, Berra walked out to left field with [[Willie Mays]], [[Tom Seaver]], [[Rusty Staub]], and [[Cleon Jones]] in order to plead with the fans to desist.<ref>{{cite web | title = Our World Fall 1973 Part 1 | publisher = [[YouTube]] | url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyUXJ4Exlh8 | date = August 19, 2009 | access-date = August 15, 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140522172939/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyUXJ4Exlh8 | archive-date = May 22, 2014 | url-status = live }}</ref> Yogi's Mets went on to defeat the highly favored "[[Big Red Machine]]" in five games to capture the NL pennant. It was Berra's second as a manager, one in each league. The Mets fell to the [[Oakland Athletics]] in the [[1973 World Series]], but they went the distance in a close, seven-game, series.<ref>{{Cite news | title = The 1973 Mets: A year to believe | last = Wright | first = Brian | agency = Amazin' Avenue | url = http://www.amazinavenue.com/2013/9/12/4686398/1973-mets-ya-gotta-believe | date = September 12, 2013 | access-date = September 22, 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150923180132/http://www.amazinavenue.com/2013/9/12/4686398/1973-mets-ya-gotta-believe | archive-date = September 23, 2015 | url-status = live }}</ref>

[[File:Yogi Berra 1981.JPG|thumb|Berra hitting with a [[Baseball bat#Fungo bat|fungo bat]] prior to a game in 1981]]
Berra's tenure as Mets manager ended with his firing on August 5, 1975. He had a record of 298 wins and 302 losses, which included the 1973 postseason. In 1976, he rejoined the Yankees as a coach. The team won its first of three consecutive AL titles, as well as the [[1977 World Series]] and [[1978 World Series]], and (as had been the case throughout his playing days) Berra's reputation as a lucky charm was reinforced. [[Casey Stengel]] once said of his catcher, "He'd fall in a sewer and come up with a gold watch."<ref>{{cite web | title = Yogi Berra Quotes | work = Baseball-Almanac.com | url = http://www.baseball-almanac.com/quotes/quoberra.shtml | access-date = August 15, 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130911181941/http://www.baseball-almanac.com/quotes/quoberra.shtml | archive-date = September 11, 2013 | url-status = live }}</ref> Berra was named Yankees manager before the 1984 season. Berra agreed to stay in the job for 1985 after receiving assurances that he would not be terminated, but impatient [[George Steinbrenner]] reneged, firing Berra anyway after the 16th game of the season. Moreover, instead of firing him personally, Steinbrenner dispatched [[Clyde King]] to deliver the news for him.<ref>{{cite web | title = The List: Steinbrenner's worst | last = Merron | first = Jeff | work = ESPN.com | url = https://www.espn.com/page2/s/list/steinbrenner.html | date = June 16, 2003 | access-date = August 15, 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121105223110/http://espn.go.com/page2/s/list/steinbrenner.html | archive-date = November 5, 2012 | url-status = live }}</ref> The incident caused a rift between Berra and Steinbrenner that was not mended for almost 15 years.<ref>{{Cite news | title = Yogi and Boss End Feud Hug and Make Up at Berra's N.J. Museum | last = Bondy | first = Filip | newspaper = [[New York Daily News]] | url = http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/news/yogi-boss-feud-hug-berra-n-museum-article-1.838194 | date = January 6, 1999 | access-date = September 24, 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150925113917/http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/news/yogi-boss-feud-hug-berra-n-museum-article-1.838194 | archive-date = September 25, 2015 | url-status = live }}</ref>

Berra joined the [[Houston Astros]] as bench coach in 1985,<ref>{{Cite news | title = Hall of Famer Yogi Berra joins Houston Astros staff | work = Kentucky New Era | date = November 19, 1985}}</ref> where he again made it to the [[1986 National League Championship Series|NLCS in 1986]]. The Astros lost the series in six games to the Mets.<ref>{{cite web | title = Revisit the '86 NLCS | work = ESPN.com | url = https://www.espn.com/page2/s/1986/revisit/nlcs.html | access-date = September 22, 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151016061110/http://espn.go.com/page2/s/1986/revisit/nlcs.html | archive-date = October 16, 2015 | url-status = live }}</ref> Berra remained a coach in Houston for three more years, retiring after the 1989 season.<ref>{{Cite news | title = Names in the News | newspaper = [[Los Angeles Times]] | url = https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-09-26-sp-206-story.html | date = September 26, 1989 | access-date = September 22, 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150923175355/http://articles.latimes.com/1989-09-26/sports/sp-206_1_houston-astros-coach-yogi-berra | archive-date = September 23, 2015 | url-status = live }}</ref> He finished his managerial career with a regular-season record of 484–444 and a playoff record of 9–10.<ref name="managerial record">{{cite web | title = Yogi Berra | publisher = Sports Reference | website = Baseball Reference | url = https://www.baseball-reference.com/managers/berrayo01.shtml | access-date = September 23, 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150924194753/http://www.baseball-reference.com/managers/berrayo01.shtml | archive-date = September 24, 2015 | url-status = live }}</ref>

After George Steinbrenner ventured to Berra's home in New Jersey to apologize in person for having mishandled Berra's firing as Yankee manager, Berra ended his 14-year estrangement from the Yankee organization in 1999 and worked in spring-training camp with catcher [[Jorge Posada]].<ref name=Araton>{{Cite news | title = Posada Is Set to Help, as Berra Helped Him | edition = New York | last = Araton | first = Harvey | newspaper = The New York Times | page = B21 | url = https://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/21/sports/baseball/jorge-posada-set-to-help-as-berra-once-helped-him.html?hpw | date = February 21, 2013 | access-date = February 28, 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161007075253/http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/21/sports/baseball/jorge-posada-set-to-help-as-berra-once-helped-him.html?hpw | archive-date = October 7, 2016 | url-status = live }}</ref>

====Managerial record====
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%; text-align:center;"
|-
! rowspan="2"|Team !! rowspan="2"|Year !! colspan="5"|Regular season !! colspan="4"|Postseason
|-
!Games!!Won!!Lost!!Win %!!Finish!! Won !! Lost !! Win % !! Result
|- style="background:#fdd"
![[1964 New York Yankees season|NYY]]|| {{mlby|1964}}
||162||{{WinLossPct|99|63}}|| '''1st in AL''' || {{WinLossPct|3|4}} || Lost [[1964 World Series|World Series]] ([[1964 St. Louis Cardinals season|STL]])
|-
![[1972 New York Mets season|NYM]]|| {{mlby|1972}}
||156||{{WinLossPct|83|73}}|| 3rd in NL East || – || – || – || –
|- style="background:#fdd"
![[1973 New York Mets season|NYM]]|| {{mlby|1973}}
||161||{{WinLossPct|82|79}}|| '''1st in NL East''' || {{WinLossPct|6|6}} || Lost [[1973 World Series|World Series]] ([[1973 Oakland Athletics season|OAK]])
|-
![[1974 New York Mets season|NYM]]|| {{mlby|1974}}
||162||{{WinLossPct|71|91}}|| 5th in NL East || – || – || – || –
|-
![[1975 New York Mets season|NYM]]|| {{mlby|1975}}
||109||{{WinLossPct|56|53}}|| fired || – || – || – || –
|-
! colspan="2"|NYM total ||588||{{WinLossPct|292|296}}|| || {{WinLossPct|6|6}} ||
|-
![[1984 New York Yankees season|NYY]]|| {{mlby|1984}}
||162||{{WinLossPct|87|75}}|| 3rd in AL East || – || – || – || –
|-
![[1985 New York Yankees season|NYY]]|| {{mlby|1985}}
||16||{{WinLossPct|6|10}}|| fired || – || – || – || –
|-
! colspan="2"|NYY total ||340||{{WinLossPct|192|148}}|| || {{WinLossPct|3|4}} ||
|-
! colspan="2"|Total<ref name="managerial record" /> ||928||{{WinLossPct|484|444}}|| || {{WinLossPct|9|10}} || 
|}

===Career statistics===
{|class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%; text-align:center;"
|-
! [[Games played|G]]!![[At bat|AB]]!![[Run (baseball)|R]]!![[Hit (baseball)|H]]!![[Double (baseball)|2B]]!![[Triple (baseball)|3B]]!![[Home run|HR]]!![[Runs batted in|RBI]]!![[Total bases|TB]]!![[Bases on balls|BB]]!![[Strikeout|SO]]!![[Batting average (baseball)|AVG]]!![[On-base percentage|OBP]]!![[Slugging percentage|SLG]]!![[On-base plus slugging percentage|OPS]]!![[Fielding percentage|FLD]]
|-
|2120||7555||1175||2150||321||49||358||1430||3643||704||414||.285||.348||.482||.830||.988
|}
In 75 World Series games, Berra batted .274 (71-for-259) with 41 runs, 10 doubles, 12 home runs, 39 RBI, and 32 walks. He has accumulated the most hits (71) and [[plate appearance]]s (295) of any MLB player in World Series history.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://baseball-almanac.com/rb_ws1.shtml|title=World Series Career Hitting Records from Baseball Almanac|website=baseball-almanac.com|accessdate=November 23, 2025}}</ref>

Source:[https://baseball-reference.com/players/b/berrayo01.shtml Baseball Reference]

==Honors==
{{MLBBioRet
|Image  = YogiBerra8.jpg
|Name   = Yogi Berra
|Number = 8
|Team   = New York Yankees
|Year   = 1972
}}

===Military===
During World War II, Berra served in the Navy as machine gunner participating in the D-Day invasion and earned a [[Purple Heart]], [[Presidential Unit Citation (United States)|Distinguished Unit Citation]], two [[Service star|battle stars]] an [[American Campaign Medal]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=BERRA-LAWRENCE {{!}} The United States Navy Memorial |url=https://navylog.navymemorial.org/berra-lawrence |access-date=2025-08-21 |website=navylog.navymemorial.org}}</ref> and a [[European–African–Middle Eastern Campaign Medal]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Yogi was military hero before a baseball star|url=https://www.mlb.com/news/yogi-berra-had-decorated-military-career-too/c-151195348|access-date=2021-10-11|website=MLB.com|date=September 23, 2015 |language=en}}</ref> In 2009, he received the [[Lone Sailor Award]] and,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Yogi Berra receives Lone Sailor Award |url=https://www.legion.org/information-center/news/baseball/2009/august/yogi-berra-receives-lone-sailor-award |access-date=2025-06-07 |website=The American Legion |language=en}}</ref> in 2010, he was honored with the Audie Murphy Award for his Navy service.<ref>{{Cite web |title=From D-Day Vet to Baseball Legend: Yogi Berra's Life as a Service Member and Yankees Player |url=https://www.uso.org/stories/2873-from-d-day-vet-to-baseball-legend-yogi-berra-s-life-as-a-service-member-and-yankees-player |access-date=2025-08-21 |website=United Service Organizations |language=en}}</ref>

===Major League Baseball===
Berra was elected to the [[Baseball Hall of Fame]] in {{bhofy|1972}}, on his second ballot.<ref>{{cite web |title=Berra, Koufax inducted amid star-studded Class of 1972. |url=https://baseballhall.org/discover/inside-pitch/berra-koufax-inducted-amid-star-studded-class-of-1972 |author=Murray, Janey |work=National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum}}</ref> That same year, his No. 8 was retired in 1972 by the Yankees, jointly honoring both Berra and [[Bill Dickey]], his predecessor as the Yankees' star catcher.<ref>{{cite web | title = Retired Uniform Numbers | publisher = Baseball Almanac | url = http://www.baseball-almanac.com/feats/feats10.shtml | access-date = September 22, 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070429152947/http://www.baseball-almanac.com/feats/feats10.shtml | archive-date = April 29, 2007 | url-status = live }}</ref>

{{Multiple image
|align=left
|image1=HOF_Berra_Yogi_plaque.jpg
|image2=Yogi Berra Plaque.png
|total_width=250
|footer=Yogi Berra's plaques at the [[Baseball Hall of Fame]] ''(top)'' and in [[Monument Park (Yankee Stadium)|Monument Park]]. ''(bottom)''
}}

On August 22, 1988, Berra and Dickey were honored with plaques to be hung in [[Monument Park (Yankee Stadium)|Monument Park]] at Yankee Stadium. Berra's plaque calls him "A legendary Yankee" and cites his most frequent quote, "It ain't over till it's over". However, the honor was not enough to shake Berra's conviction that Steinbrenner had broken their personal agreement; Berra did not set foot in the stadium for another decade, until Steinbrenner publicly apologized to Berra.<ref>{{Cite news | title = George Steinbrenner Realized He Had To Apologize to Yogi Berra | last = Friend | first = Harold | agency = Bleacher Report | url = http://bleacherreport.com/articles/470484-george-steinbrenner-realized-he-had-to-apologize-to-mr-berra | date = September 22, 2010 | access-date = September 22, 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150923170750/http://bleacherreport.com/articles/470484-george-steinbrenner-realized-he-had-to-apologize-to-mr-berra | archive-date = September 23, 2015 | url-status = live }}</ref>

In 1996, Berra received an honorary doctorate from [[Montclair State University]], which also named its own campus stadium [[Yogi Berra Stadium]], opened in 1998, in his honor.<ref name="about">{{cite web | title = About Yogi | publisher = Yogi Berra Museum | url = http://yogiberramuseum.org/about-yogi/ | access-date = September 22, 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150923141809/http://yogiberramuseum.org/about-yogi/ | archive-date = September 23, 2015 | url-status = live }}</ref> The stadium is also used by the [[New Jersey Jackals]], an independent minor league baseball team that has also paid homage to Berra by never issuing his jersey number, 8, to anyone.<ref>{{cite web | title = About Floyd Hall Enterprises | publisher = New Jersey Jackals | url = http://www.jackals.com/content.asp?ID=17 | access-date = September 22, 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150910044514/http://www.jackals.com/content.asp?ID=17 | archive-date = September 10, 2015 | url-status = live }}</ref>

In 1998, Berra appeared at No. 40 on ''[[The Sporting News]]'' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players,<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Baseball's 100 Greatest Players: No. 40, Yogi Berra |magazine=[[The Sporting News]]|date=April 26, 1999 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050413232529/http://www.sportingnews.com/baseball/100/index-40.html |archive-date=April 13, 2005 |url=http://www.sportingnews.com/baseball/100/index-40.html}}</ref> and fan balloting elected him to the [[Major League Baseball All-Century Team]].<ref>{{cite web|title=The All-Century Team|website=[[MLB.com]]|url=http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/history/mlb_history_moreinfo.jsp|access-date=February 15, 2007|archive-date=January 19, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100119065808/http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/history/mlb_history_moreinfo.jsp|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2020, ''[[The Athletic]]'' ranked Berra at number 43 on its "Baseball 100" list, compiled by sportswriter [[Joe Posnanski]].<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Posnanski |first1=Joe |title=The Baseball 100: No. 43, Yogi Berra |url=https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/1597072/2020/02/13/the-baseball-100-no-43-yogi-berra/ |magazine=[[The Athletic]] |date=February 13, 2020}}</ref>

On July 18, 1999, Berra was honored with "Yogi Berra Day" at [[Yankee Stadium (1923)|Yankee Stadium]]. [[Don Larsen]] threw the [[ceremonial first pitch]] to Berra to honor the [[Don Larsen's perfect game|perfect game]] of the 1956 World Series. The celebration marked the return of Berra to the stadium. On that day, Yankees pitcher [[David Cone]] threw [[David Cone's perfect game|a perfect game]] against the [[Montreal Expos]],<ref>{{Cite news | title = Yankees celebrate 10th anniversary of David Cone's perfect game | last = Ackert | first = Kristie | newspaper = New York Daily News | url = http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/yankees/2009/07/19/2009-07-19_yankees_celebrate_10th_anniversary_of_david_cones_perfect_game.html | date = July 18, 2009 | access-date = September 18, 2009 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090921193208/http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/yankees/2009/07/19/2009-07-19_yankees_celebrate_10th_anniversary_of_david_cones_perfect_game.html | archive-date = September 21, 2009 | url-status = live }}</ref> only the 16th time it had ever been done in [[Major League Baseball|Major League]] history.<ref>{{Cite news | title = For Berra Family, Day Is Also Perfect | last = Bondy | first = Filip | newspaper = New York Daily News | url = http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/sports/berra-family-day-perfect-article-1.848125 | date = July 19, 1999 | access-date = September 24, 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150925113855/http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/sports/berra-family-day-perfect-article-1.848125 | archive-date = September 25, 2015 | url-status = live }}</ref>

In 2005, Berra received the Golden Plate Award of the [[Academy of Achievement|American Academy of Achievement]].<ref>{{cite web|title= Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement |website=www.achievement.org|publisher=[[American Academy of Achievement]]|url=https://achievement.org/our-history/golden-plate-awards/#sports}}</ref> In 2008, Berra was inducted into the [[New Jersey Hall of Fame]].<ref>{{Cite news | title = Gala planned for New Jersey Hall of Fame inductees | last = O'Connor | first = Julie | newspaper = [[The Star-Ledger]] | location = Newark, New Jersey | publisher = New Jersey On-Line LLC. | url = http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2008/05/gala_planned_for_new_jersey_ha.html | date = May 4, 2008 | access-date = December 2, 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120113052515/http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2008/05/gala_planned_for_new_jersey_ha.html | archive-date = January 13, 2012 | url-status = live }}</ref>

Berra was the inaugural recipient of the [[Bob Feller Act of Valor Award]] in 2013.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.radioiowa.com/2013/10/15/first-winners-announced-for-the-bob-feller-act-of-valor-award/ | title=First winners announced for the Bob Feller Act of Valor Award | first=Dar | last=Danielson | date=October 15, 2013 | work=Radio Iowa | publisher=[[Learfield IMG College|Learfield News & Ag]] | access-date=January 9, 2021 }}</ref>

===Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center and Yogi Berra Stadium===
In 1998, the [[Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center]]<ref>{{cite web | title = Yogi Berra Museum | publisher = Yogi Berra Museum | url = http://www.yogiberramuseum.org | access-date = November 29, 2010 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110210062634/http://www.yogiberramuseum.org/ | archive-date = February 10, 2011 | url-status = live }}</ref> and [[Yogi Berra Stadium]] (home of the Montclair State University baseball team and formerly home to the [[New Jersey Jackals]]) opened on the campus of [[Montclair State University]] in [[Upper Montclair, New Jersey]]. The museum is the home of various artifacts, including the mitt with which Yogi caught the only [[Perfect game (baseball)|perfect game]] in World Series history, several autographed and "game-used" items, and nine of Yogi's championship rings.<ref name="about" />

[[File:Yogi Berra.jpg|thumb|upright=.75|Berra in 2000]]
Berra was involved with the project and frequently visited the museum for signings, discussions, and other events. It was his intention to teach children values such as sportsmanship and dedication on and off the baseball diamond.<ref>{{Cite news | title = Yogi Berra Will Be A Living Legend Even After He's Gone | last = Posnanski | first = Joe | newspaper = [[Sports Illustrated]] | volume = 115 | issue = 1 | pages = 64–68 | url = http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1187819/index.htm | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110630151046/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1187819/index.htm | date = July 4, 2011 | archive-date = June 30, 2011}}</ref>

On October 8, 2014, a break-in and theft occurred at the museum, and several of Berra's World Series rings and other memorabilia were stolen.<ref name="usatoday1">{{cite web | title = World Series rings stolen from Yogi Berra Museum | last = Foss | first = Mike | newspaper = USA Today | url = http://ftw.usatoday.com/2014/10/police-are-offering-5000-for-information-about-the-yogi-berra-museum-robbery | date = October 9, 2014 | access-date = October 19, 2014 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20141019071518/http://ftw.usatoday.com/2014/10/police-are-offering-5000-for-information-about-the-yogi-berra-museum-robbery | archive-date = October 19, 2014 | url-status = live }}</ref> Three members of the burglary ring responsible for the theft were convicted in February 2025, while five others pleaded guilty to charges; it is believed that Berra's rings were melted down and sold by the perpetrators.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-star-ledger-yankees-loot-burglars-co/186410542/ |title=Yankees loot burglars convicted |first=Bridget |last=Hyland |newspaper=[[The Star-Ledger]] |location=[[Newark, New Jersey]] |page=A2 |date=February 13, 2025 |accessdate=December 7, 2025 |via=newspapers.com}}</ref>

===Presidential Medal of Freedom===
On November 24, 2015, Berra was awarded the [[Presidential Medal of Freedom]] posthumously by [[President Barack Obama]] in a ceremony at the [[White House]] attended by members of Berra's family, who accepted the award on his behalf.<ref>{{cite web | title = Yogi Berra, Willie Mays are recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom | author = Boeck, Scott | newspaper = [[USA Today]] | url = https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2015/11/16/yogi-berra-willie-mays-are-recipients-of-presidential-medal-of-freedom-president-obama/75889844/ | date = November 16, 2015 | access-date = November 16, 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151117151225/http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2015/11/16/yogi-berra-willie-mays-are-recipients-of-presidential-medal-of-freedom-president-obama/75889844/ | archive-date = November 17, 2015 | url-status = live }}</ref><ref name=NBC>Phil Helsel – [http://www.aol.com/article/2015/11/24/obama-honoring-spielberg-streisand-and-more-with-medal-of-freed/21272337/?icid=maing-grid7%7Chtmlws-sb-bb%7Cdl3%7Csec1_lnk3%26pLid%3D-40526639 "Obama honoring Spielberg, Streisand and more with medal of freedom,"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151125221354/http://www.aol.com/article/2015/11/24/obama-honoring-spielberg-streisand-and-more-with-medal-of-freed/21272337/?icid=maing-grid7%7Chtmlws-sb-bb%7Cdl3%7Csec1_lnk3%26pLid%3D-40526639 |date=November 25, 2015 }} ''NBC News'', November 24, 2015. Retrieved 2015-11-25</ref> At the ceremony, the President said: "Today we celebrate some extraordinary people. Innovators, artists and leaders who contribute to America's strength as a nation." Celebrating Berra's military service and remarkable baseball career, Obama used one of Berra's famous "[[#"Yogi-isms"|Yogi-isms]]", saying, "One thing we know for sure: If you can't imitate him, don't copy him."<ref name=NBC />

===USPS stamp===
On July 1, 2021, the [[United States Postal Service]] officially issued its Yogi Berra commemorative stamp outside of Berra's museum. Berra is only the 30th baseball player to have his picture on a stamp, and he is the first player to appear on a USPS stamp in nine years. Berra is also the first player since [[Lou Gehrig]] in 1989 to receive an issuance all his own, where a great majority of those stamps have been part of multiplayer issuances.<ref>{{cite news | title = With Baseball Stamps, It Ain't Over Until the Rights Issues Clear | last = Neyer | first = Rob | newspaper = The New York Times| url = https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/02/sports/baseball/yogi-berra-stamp.html | date = July 2, 2021 | access-date = July 2, 2021}}</ref>

==Other activities==
[[File:Sparky Anderson George W. Bush Yogi Berra.jpg|thumb|[[Sparky Anderson]], [[George W. Bush]], and Yogi Berra in the East Room of the White House, 2001]]
Berra and former teammate [[Phil Rizzuto]] were partners in a [[bowling alley]] venture in [[Clifton, New Jersey]], originally called Rizzuto-Berra Lanes. The two eventually sold their stakes to new owners, who changed the name to Astro Bowl before selling the property to a developer who closed the bowling alley in 1999 and converted it into retail space.<ref>{{Cite news | title = Bowling, Once a First Date, Now Takes Back Seat | last = Galant | first = Debra | newspaper = The New York Times | url = https://www.nytimes.com/2000/12/10/nyregion/bowling-once-a-first-date-now-takes-back-seat.html | date = December 10, 2000 | access-date = September 23, 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150925121952/http://www.nytimes.com/2000/12/10/nyregion/bowling-once-a-first-date-now-takes-back-seat.html | archive-date = September 25, 2015 | url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news | title = Yogi Berra on Baseball and Business | last = Mielach | first = David | newspaper = Business News Daily | url = http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/2294-yogi-berra-touches-bases-baseball-business.html | date = April 4, 2012 | access-date = September 23, 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150923172528/http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/2294-yogi-berra-touches-bases-baseball-business.html | archive-date = September 23, 2015 | url-status = live }}</ref>  Yogi Berra's Fitness & Racquetball Club in [[Fairfield Township, Essex County, New Jersey|Fairfield, New Jersey]], was popular in the 1980s.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nj.com/essex/2015/09/yogi_berra_remembered_as_baseball_legend_and_new_j.html |title=New Jersey remembers Yogi Berra as baseball legend and local guy (VIDEO) |date=September 24, 2015 |publisher=nj.com |access-date=2022-03-08}}</ref>

Berra was also involved in causes related to his Italian American heritage. He was a longtime supporter of the [[National Italian American Foundation]] (NIAF) and helped fund raise for the Foundation.<ref>{{cite web | title=The National Italian American Foundation (NIAF) Mourns the Passing of Carmen Berra | publisher=National Italian American Foundation | url=https://www.niaf.org/niaf_event/the-national-italian-american-foundation-niaf-mourns-the-passing-of-carmen-berra/ | access-date=September 23, 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925053431/https://www.niaf.org/niaf_event/the-national-italian-american-foundation-niaf-mourns-the-passing-of-carmen-berra/ | archive-date=September 25, 2015 | url-status=live }}</ref> He was inducted into the Italian American Hall of Fame in 2004.<ref>{{Cite news | title = Ernest Borgnine, Yogi Berra & Paul Tagliabue To be Inducted into Italian American Hall of Fame *Lawrence Babbio & Louis Lamoriello To be Honored at NY Gala* | agency = National Italian American Foundation | url = http://www.niaf.org/niaf_event/ernest-borgnine-yogi-berra-paul-tagliabue-to-be-inducted-into-italian-american-hall-of-fame-lawrence-babbio-louis-lamoriello-to-be-honored-at-ny-gala/ | date = April 13, 2004 | access-date = September 23, 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150925053605/http://www.niaf.org/niaf_event/ernest-borgnine-yogi-berra-paul-tagliabue-to-be-inducted-into-italian-american-hall-of-fame-lawrence-babbio-louis-lamoriello-to-be-honored-at-ny-gala/ | archive-date = September 25, 2015 | url-status = live }}</ref>

Berra was a recipient of the [[Boy Scouts of America]]'s highest adult award, the [[Silver Buffalo Award]].<ref>''Scouting'' (September 2003), pp. 38</ref>

Based on his style of speaking, Yogi was named "Wisest Fool of the Past 50 Years" by ''[[The Economist]]'' magazine in January 2005.<ref>{{Cite news | title=Wisest Fools | newspaper=[[The Economist]] | url=https://www.economist.com/books-and-arts/2005/01/27/wisest-fools | date=January 27, 2005 | access-date=November 5, 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181106053411/https://www.economist.com/books-and-arts/2005/01/27/wisest-fools | archive-date=November 6, 2018 | url-status=live }}</ref>

In the 2007 television miniseries ''[[The Bronx Is Burning]]'', Berra was portrayed by actor [[Joe Grifasi]]. In the HBO sports docudrama ''[[61*]]'', Berra was portrayed by actor Paul Borghese, and Hank Steinberg's script included more than one of Berra's famous "Yogi-isms". In 2009, Berra appeared in the documentary film ''[[A Time for Champions]]'', recounting his childhood memories of soccer in his native [[St. Louis, Missouri|St. Louis]].<ref>''[[A Time for Champions]]'' (2009). [[KETC]]/[[Cappy Productions]]</ref> The 2022 documentary ''[[It Ain't Over (film)|It Ain't Over]]'' focuses on Berra's life and career.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/31/sport/yogi-berra-baseball-great-documentary-spt-intl/index.html|title=Yogi Berra: 'It Ain't Over' documentary reassesses baseball great's remarkable career and life|work=CNN|date=May 31, 2023|access-date=July 30, 2023}}</ref>

Yogi and his wife Carmen were played by real-life newly married actors [[Peter Scolari]] and Tracey Shayne in the 2013 [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] play ''[[Bronx Bombers (play)|Bronx Bombers]]''.<ref>{{Cite news | title=A Broadway Run for 'Bronx Bombers' | last=Kepler | first=Adam W. | work=[[The New York Times]] | url=http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/10/21/a-broadway-run-for-bronx-bombers/ | date=October 21, 2013 | url-access=registration | access-date=February 6, 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140105103558/http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/10/21/a-broadway-run-for-bronx-bombers/ | archive-date=January 5, 2014 | url-status=live }}</ref>

Yogi joined [[Athlete Ally]] as a champion for inclusion in sports and as an Athlete Ally Pro Ambassador in 2013. The Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center also collaborated with Athlete Ally on the innovative "Championing Respect" museum exhibit, which charted how sports has contributed to social change.<ref>{{cite web | title=Athlete Ally Mourns Baseball Pioneer and Ally Yogi Berra | url=https://www.athleteally.org/athlete-ally-mourns-baseball-pioneer-ally-yogi-berra/ | publisher=Athlete Ally | date=October 23, 2015 }}</ref>

==Personal life==
Berra married Carmen Short on January 26, 1949. They had three sons and were longtime residents of [[Montclair, New Jersey]], until Carmen's declining health caused them to move into a nearby [[assisted living facility]] in [[West Caldwell]]. Each of their sons played professional sports: [[Dale Berra]] played [[shortstop]] for the [[Pittsburgh Pirates]], the New York Yankees (managed by Yogi in 1984–85), and the [[Houston Astros]]; [[Tim Berra (American football)|Tim Berra]] played for the [[History of the Indianapolis Colts|Baltimore Colts]] in the [[1974 NFL season]]; and Larry Berra played for three minor league teams in the [[New York Mets]] organization. Carmen Berra died on March 6, 2014, of complications from a stroke, at age 85; the couple had recently celebrated their 65th anniversary.<ref>{{Cite news | title=Yogi Berra's wife of 65 years, Carmen, dead at 85 following complications from recent stroke | last1=Vinton | first1=Nathaniel | last2=Madden | first2=Bill | work=[[New York Daily News]] | url=https://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/yankees/yogi-berra-wife-65-years-carmen-dead-85-article-1.1714228 | date=March 7, 2014 | access-date=February 7, 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190209124334/https://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/yankees/yogi-berra-wife-65-years-carmen-dead-85-article-1.1714228 | archive-date=February 9, 2019 | url-status=live }}</ref> Following Carmen's death, the house in Montclair was listed for sale at $888,000, a reference to Yogi's uniform number.<ref>{{Cite news | title=Photos: Yogi Berra's Montclair home is for sale | last=Goldman | first=Jeff | work=[[NJ.com]] | url=http://www.nj.com/essex/index.ssf/2014/04/yogi_berras_montclair_home_is_for_sale.html | date=April 30, 2014 | access-date=September 23, 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923193505/http://www.nj.com/essex/index.ssf/2014/04/yogi_berras_montclair_home_is_for_sale.html | archive-date=September 23, 2015 | url-status=live }}</ref>

==Death==
Berra died in his sleep at age 90 of natural causes in [[West Caldwell, New Jersey]], on September 22, 2015.<ref name="yogideath">Burke, Don. [https://nypost.com/2015/09/23/yankees-legend-yogi-berra-dead-at-90/ "Yankees legend Yogi Berra dead at 90"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171014191706/http://nypost.com/2015/09/23/yankees-legend-yogi-berra-dead-at-90/ |date=October 14, 2017 }}, ''[[New York Post]]'', September 23, 2015. (accessed September 23, 2015)</ref><ref>{{Cite news | title=Yogi Berra, Yankees Icon and MLB Hall of Famer, Dies at 90 – NBC News | last1=Rudansky | first1=Andrew | last2=Jamieson | first2=Alastair | work=[[NBC News]] | url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/sports/yogi-berra-yankees-icon-mlb-hall-famer-dies-90-n432061 | date=September 23, 2015 | access-date=October 7, 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190909170021/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/sports/yogi-berra-yankees-icon-mlb-hall-famer-dies-90-n432061 | archive-date=September 9, 2019 | url-status=live }}</ref>

The Yankees added a number "8" patch to their uniforms in honor of Berra,<ref>{{cite web | title=Yankees to honor Yogi Berra with No. 8 patch on jersey sleeve | last=Perry | first=Dayn | work=CBS Sports | url=http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/eye-on-baseball/25313482/yankees-to-honor-yogi-berra-with-no-8-patch-on-jersey-sleeve | date=September 23, 2015 | access-date=September 24, 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924054651/http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/eye-on-baseball/25313482/yankees-to-honor-yogi-berra-with-no-8-patch-on-jersey-sleeve | archive-date=September 24, 2015 | url-status=live }}</ref> and the [[Empire State Building]] was lit with vertical blue and white Yankee "pinstripes" on September 23.<ref name=sbnation/> New York City lowered all flags in the city to half-staff for a day in tribute.<ref name="flag">{{Cite news | title=Flags Flying At Half-Staff In NYC In Honor Of Yankees Great Yogi Berra | work=CBS New York | url=http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2015/09/23/yogi-berra-flags-half-staff/ | date=September 23, 2015 | access-date=September 24, 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924061314/http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2015/09/23/yogi-berra-flags-half-staff/ | archive-date=September 24, 2015 | url-status=live }}</ref> A moment of silence was held before the September 23 games of the Yankees, Dodgers, [[Astros]], [[Mets]], [[Washington Nationals|Nationals]], [[Detroit Tigers|Tigers]], [[Pittsburgh Pirates|Pirates]], and his hometown [[St. Louis Cardinals]], as well as the [[ALPB]]'s [[Long Island Ducks]].<ref name=sbnation>{{cite web | title=Empire State Building to honor Yogi Berra with Yankee pinstripes | last=Stephen | first=Eric | work=SB Nation | url=https://www.sbnation.com/mlb/2015/9/23/9388283/yogi-berra-empire-state-building-yankees | date=September 23, 2015 | access-date=December 10, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190209124507/https://www.sbnation.com/mlb/2015/9/23/9388283/yogi-berra-empire-state-building-yankees | archive-date=February 9, 2019 | url-status=live }}</ref> The [[Yogi Berra Museum]] held a tribute on October 4.<ref>{{cite web | title=How to watch Yogi Berra's funeral on Tuesday | last=Mazzola | first=Jessica | work=[[NJ.com]] | url=http://www.nj.com/essex/index.ssf/2015/09/yogi_berras_funeral_set_for_tuesday_will_be_broadc.html | date=September 28, 2015 | access-date=September 29, 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150930192844/http://www.nj.com/essex/index.ssf/2015/09/yogi_berras_funeral_set_for_tuesday_will_be_broadc.html | archive-date=September 30, 2015 | url-status=live }}</ref>

Berra's funeral services were held on September 29, and were broadcast by the [[YES Network]]. His ashes were interred next to his wife, Carmen, at the [[Gate of Heaven Cemetery (East Hanover, New Jersey)|Gate of Heaven Cemetery]] in [[East Hanover, New Jersey]]. Berra's longtime friend, [[Joe Garagiola]], who lived directly across the street from Berra when they were young, died six months later on March 23, 2016. Berra's Yankee teammate [[Don Larsen]], who pitched the only [[Perfect game (baseball)|perfect game]] in World Series history and was the only surviving member of the 1956 game at the time of Berra's death, died on January 1, 2020.

=="Yogi-isms"==
[[File:Yogi2.JPG|thumb|Berra in 2007]]
{{Wikiquote}}
Berra was known for his impromptu pithy comments, [[malapropism]]s, and seemingly unintentional witticisms, known as "Yogi-isms". These often took the form of either an apparent [[Tautology (rhetoric)|tautology]] or a contradiction, but often with underlying humor and wisdom. [[Allen Barra]] has described them as "distilled bits of wisdom which, like good country songs and old [[John Wayne]] movies, get to the truth in a hurry."<ref>{{cite web | title=Yogi Berra Wasn't Trying to Be Witty | last=Stahl | first=Jeremy | work=[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]] | url=http://www.slate.com/articles/sports/sports_nut/2015/09/yogi_berra_quotes_how_a_false_narrative_from_joe_garagiola_came_to_dominate.html | date=September 23, 2015 | access-date=September 24, 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924174408/http://www.slate.com/articles/sports/sports_nut/2015/09/yogi_berra_quotes_how_a_false_narrative_from_joe_garagiola_came_to_dominate.html | archive-date=September 24, 2015 | url-status=live }}</ref>
<!-- Add quotes at http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Yogi_Berra&nbsp;— not here: these are a selection of examples, not an exhaustive list. -->

===Examples===
* "It ain't over 'til it's over." The Mets trailed the [[Chicago Cubs]] by 9½ games in the [[National League East]] in July 1973. They rallied to clinch the division title and eventually reached the World Series. This line inspired the song "[[It Ain't Over 'til It's Over]]" by [[Lenny Kravitz]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-34324865|title=How people started saying 'It ain't over till it's over'|work=BBC News |date=September 23, 2015}}</ref> Though widely attributed to Berra<ref>{{Cite web |last=Riddell |first=Don |date=2023-05-31 |title=Yogi Berra: 'It Ain't Over' documentary reassesses baseball great's remarkable career and life |url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/31/sport/yogi-berra-baseball-great-documentary-spt-intl/index.html |access-date=2023-09-10 |website=CNN |language=en}}</ref> and becoming the title of a film about him, there is doubt he said the words in the first place.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kenny |first=Glenn |date=2023-05-11 |title='It Ain't Over' Review: When Yogi Berra Saw a Strike, He Hit It |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/11/movies/it-aint-over-review-yogi-berra-documentary.html |access-date=2023-09-10 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
* "It's [[déjà vu]] all over again." Berra explained that this originated when he witnessed Mickey Mantle and [[Roger Maris]] repeatedly hitting back-to-back home runs in the Yankees' seasons in the early 1960s.<ref name=YBQ />
* "You can observe a lot by watching."<ref name=YBQ />
* When giving directions to [[Joe Garagiola]] to his New Jersey home, which was accessible by two routes: "When you come to a fork in the road, take it."<ref name=YBQ />
* On why he no longer went to Ruggeri's, a St. Louis restaurant: "Nobody goes there anymore. It's too crowded."<ref name=YBQ />
* At Yogi Berra Day at Sportsman Park in St. Louis: "Thank you for making this day necessary."<ref name=YBQ />
* When complimented by a woman in the grandstands at [[Wrigley Field]] on how he seemed to be enduring the heat well on a hot summer's day: "Thanks, ma'am. You don't look so hot yourself."
* "Always go to other people's funerals; otherwise they won't go to yours."<ref name=YBQ />
* On declining attendance in Kansas City: "If people don't want to come to the ballpark, how the hell are you gonna stop them?"<ref name=YBQ />
* "Texas has a lot of [[United States Electoral College|electrical votes]]."<ref>[http://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-malapropism.html Examples of Malapropism]. Examples.yourdictionary.com (2015-10-09)</ref>
* "The future ain't what it used to be."
* "A [[Nickel (United States coin)|nickel]] ain't worth a [[Dime (United States coin)|dime]] anymore."<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.yahoo.com/news/-a-nickel-ain-t-worth-a-dime-anymore----yogi-s-financial-wisdom-155245281.html | title='A nickel ain't worth a dime anymore' – Yogi's financial wisdom | first=Pras | last=Subramanian | publisher=[[Yahoo!]] | date=September 23, 2015 | access-date=February 7, 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190209130853/https://www.yahoo.com/news/-a-nickel-ain-t-worth-a-dime-anymore----yogi-s-financial-wisdom-155245281.html | archive-date=February 9, 2019 | url-status=live }}</ref>
* "If you can't imitate him, don't copy him."<ref name="The New York Times">{{Cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/24/sports/yogi-berra-yogi-isms-quotes-explored.html | title=Behind the Yogi-isms: Those Said and Unsaid | last1=Mather | first1=Victor | last2=Rogers | first2=Katie | date=2015-09-23 | work=[[The New York Times]] | issn=0362-4331 | access-date=September 26, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170927053203/https://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/24/sports/yogi-berra-yogi-isms-quotes-explored.html | archive-date=September 27, 2017 | url-status=live }}</ref>
* "Ninety percent of the game is half mental." (This is sometimes rendered as "Baseball is 90 percent mental. The other half is physical.")<ref name=YBQ />
* "I really didn't say everything I said."<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 23, 2015 |title=I really didn't say everything I said |url=https://www.foxnews.com/sports/i-really-didnt-say-everything-i-said-the-very-best-yogi-berra-quotes |access-date=2025-01-01 |website=FOX News|agency=Associated Press}}</ref>
<!-- Add quotes at http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Yogi_Berra&nbsp;— not here: these are a selection of examples, not an exhaustive list. -->

Berra is often incorrectly credited with the saying "[[It ain't over till the fat lady sings]]," which was first attributed to [[Texas Tech University]] sports information director Ralph Carpenter in 1976. When asked about the quotation in 1998, Berra told a ''[[New York Times]]'' reporter, "That's one of the things that I said that I never said."<ref name="The New York Times"/>

==In popular culture==
In the 1950s, Berra hired Frank Scott as his agent for off-the-field appearances and endorsements. Scott was the first sports agent to focus on an athlete's off-the-field earnings.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Litsky |first1=Frank |title=Frank Scott, 80, Baseball's First Player Agent |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/06/30/sports/frank-scott-80-baseball-s-first-player-agent.html |access-date=27 January 2021 |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=30 June 1998}}</ref> Berra appeared in advertisements for products and companies including [[Yoo-Hoo]], [[Visa Inc.|Visa]], [[Pringles]], [[Stove Top stuffing]], [[Aflac]], [[Camel (cigarette)|Camel cigarettes]], [[Ballantine Beer]], [[Kraft]] Italian salad dressing, [[Union Carbide|Prest-O-Lite]] batteries, [[Wheaties]], [[Shelby Cycle Company|Shelby bicycles]], Diamond Chemicals, Spencer Chemicals, [[AMF Bowling]], [[Miller Lite]], [[Kinney Shoes]], [[Pepsi]], [[Jockey International|Jockey underwear]], wristwatches, orange juice, foot spray, and cat food.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Radom |first1=Todd |title=Take a look back at 60 years of Yogi Berra ads |url=https://www.sportingnews.com/us/mlb/list/yogi-berra-dies-dead-yankees-mets-coach-advertising-marketing-yogiism/ogfys4u7tb9r1acxslri5hmpu/8 |access-date=27 January 2021 |work=[[Sporting News]] |date=September 23, 2015 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Lepore |first1=Stephen M. |title=From Yoo-hoo to Yao, Yogi Berra's greatest commercials |url=https://www.nydailynews.com/sports/yogi-berra-best-commercials-article-1.2371034 |access-date=27 January 2021 |work=[[New York Daily News]] |date=September 23, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Swendeman |first=Chris |date=September 23, 2015 |title=Top 8 Yogi Berra commercials |url=https://nj1015.com/remembering-yogi-berra-yogis-top-8-commercials-watch/ |access-date=27 January 2021 |publisher=New Jersey 101.5 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Lauro |first1=Patricia Winters |title=THE MEDIA BUSINESS: ADVERTISING; One of baseball's most colorful figures finds he is in demand again. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/04/30/business/media-business-advertising-one-baseball-s-most-colorful-figures-finds-he-demand.html |access-date=27 January 2021 |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=30 April 1999}}</ref>

The cartoon character [[Yogi Bear]] first appeared in 1958. The name was similar enough to Berra's name that he considered suing [[Hanna-Barbera]], but Hanna-Barbera claimed that the similarity was just a coincidence.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/sep/23/yogi-berra-yogi-bear-baseball | title=The blurred boundaries between Yogi Berra and Yogi Bear | first=Tim | last=Dowling | work=[[The Guardian]] | date=September 23, 2015 | access-date=February 7, 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190209124201/https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/sep/23/yogi-berra-yogi-bear-baseball | archive-date=February 9, 2019 | url-status=live }}</ref> Berra's obituary by the [[Associated Press]] initially said that Yogi Bear had died.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://observer.com/2015/09/aps-yogi-berra-obituary-initially-said-yogi-bear-died/ | title=AP's Yogi Berra Obituary Initially Said Yogi Bear Died | first=John | last=Bonazzo | work=[[The New York Observer]] | date=September 23, 2015 | access-date=February 7, 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190209123901/https://observer.com/2015/09/aps-yogi-berra-obituary-initially-said-yogi-bear-died/ | archive-date=February 9, 2019 | url-status=live }}</ref>

==Books==
* ''Yogi: The Autobiography of a Professional Baseball Player'', Yogi Berra and Ed Fitzgerald (1961) LOC: 61-6504 {{oclc|937429264}}
* ''Behind the Plate'', Lawrence Yogi Berra and Til Ferdenzi (1962) {{ISBN|978-1-258-11403-9}}
* ''Yogi: It Ain't Over'' (1989) {{ISBN|0-07-096947-7}}
* ''The Yogi Book: I Really Didn't Say Everything I Said'' (1998) {{ISBN|0-7611-1090-9}}
* ''When You Come to a Fork in the Road, Take It! Inspiration and Wisdom from One of Baseball's Greatest Heroes'' (2001) {{ISBN|0-7868-6775-2}}
* ''What Time Is It? You Mean Now?: Advice for Life from the Zennest Master of Them All'' (2002) {{ISBN|0-7432-3768-4}}
* ''Ten Rings: My Championship Seasons'' (2003) {{ISBN|0-06-051381-0}}
* ''Let's Go, Yankees!'' (2006) {{ISBN|1-932888-81-0}}
* ''You Can Observe a Lot by Watching'' (2009) {{ISBN|978-0-470-45404-6}}
* ''The Wit and Wisdom of Yogi Berra'' (2014) {{ISBN|0312917600}}

==See also==
* [[List of Major League Baseball career hits leaders]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball career home run leaders]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball career putouts as a catcher leaders]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball career runs scored leaders]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball career runs batted in leaders]]
* [[List of Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients]]

==References==
{{Clear}}
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==
*{{Cite book| title = Yogi Berra: Eternal Yankee
 | last = Barra | first = Allen
 | year = 2009
 | publisher = [[W. W. Norton & Company]] | location = New York
 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=jioUaBmS8FcC
 | oclc = 227016802 | isbn = 978-0-393-06233-5
}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Yogi Berra}}
{{wikiquote|Yogi Berra}}
*{{Baseballstats|mlb=110925|espn=19152|br=b/berrayo01|fangraphs=1000898|brm=berra-001law|retro=B/Pberry101}}
*{{Baseball-reference manager|id=berrayo01}}
*{{bbhof|berra-yogi}}
*{{sabrbio|yogi-berra}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110210062634/http://www.yogiberramuseum.org/ Yogi Berra Museum: official website]
*{{find a Grave|152685056}}

{{Navboxes|list1=
{{1947 New York Yankees}}
{{1949 New York Yankees}}
{{1950 New York Yankees}}
{{1951 New York Yankees}}
{{1952 New York Yankees}}
{{1953 New York Yankees}}
{{1956 New York Yankees}}
{{1958 New York Yankees}}
{{1961 New York Yankees}}
{{1962 New York Yankees}}
{{1969 New York Mets}}
{{1977 New York Yankees}}
{{1978 New York Yankees}}
{{MLBACT}}
{{MLBATT}}
{{AL MVPs}}
{{New York Yankees managers}}
{{New York Mets managers}}
{{New York Yankees retired numbers}}
{{New York Yankees HOF}}
{{Monument Park honorees}}
{{New York Mets HOF}}
{{1972 Baseball HOF}}
{{Baseball Hall of Fame members}}
}}
{{Portal bar|Biography|Baseball|Missouri}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Berra, Yogi}}
[[Category:1925 births]]
[[Category:2015 deaths]]
[[Category:American League All-Stars]]
[[Category:American League Most Valuable Player Award winners]]
[[Category:American people of Italian descent]]
[[Category:Aphorists]]
[[Category:Baseball players from Essex County, New Jersey]]
[[Category:Baseball coaches from Missouri]]
[[Category:Baseball players from St. Louis]]
[[Category:Burials at Gate of Heaven Cemetery (East Hanover, New Jersey)]]
[[Category:Houston Astros coaches]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball bench coaches]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball catchers]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball first base coaches]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball hitting coaches]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball players with retired numbers]]
[[Category:National Baseball Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:Newark Bears (International League) players]]
[[Category:New York Mets coaches]]
[[Category:New York Mets managers]]
[[Category:New York Mets players]]
[[Category:New York Yankees coaches]]
[[Category:New York Yankees managers]]
[[Category:New York Yankees players]]
[[Category:Norfolk Tars players]]
[[Category:Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Montclair, New Jersey]]
[[Category:Sportspeople of Italian descent]]
[[Category:United States Navy personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:United States Navy sailors]]
[[Category:Writers from St. Louis]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]
[[Category:American Roman Catholics]]