Yogi Berra, legendary for his lines and New York Yankees exploits, dies at 90

Yogi Berra, famous as much for his memorable malapropisms as his baseball exploits, died of natural causes on Tuesday at his New Jersey home aged 90.

New York Yankees catcher Yogi Berra shown at spring training in an undated photo. AP Photo

Yogi Berra, the hall of fame catcher renowned as much for his dizzying malapropisms as his record 10 World Series championships with the New York Yankees, has died. He was 90.

Berra died of natural causes Tuesday at his home in New Jersey, according to Dave Kaplan, the director of the Yogi Berra Museum.

“While we mourn the loss of our father, grandfather and great-grandfather, we know he is at peace with Mom,” Berra’s family said in a statement released by the museum. “We celebrate his remarkable life, and are thankful he meant so much to so many. He will truly be missed.”

Short, squat and with a homely mug, Berra was a legendary Yankee who helped the team reach 14 World Series during his 18 seasons in the Bronx.

Berra played in more World Series games than any other major leaguer, and was a three-time American League Most Valuable Player. He hit 358 home runs and batted .285 in 2,120 games across 19 seasons, making the all-star team on 15 occasions. He was elected into baseball’s hall of fame in 1972.

But his name appears almost as often in Bartlett’s Famous Quotations as it does in baseball’s record book.

Among his most notable quips were: “When you come to a fork in the road, take it,” which supposedly referred to a fork in the road near his New Jersey home that would lead to his house whichever way a driver went.

He was also known for “It’s déjà vu all over again” and “It ain’t over ‘til it’s over”.

And, of course, “I really didn’t say everything I said.”

“When I’m sittin’ down to dinner with the family, stuff just pops out. And they’ll say, `Dad, you just said another one.’ And I don’t even know what the heck I said,” Berra insisted.

Berra played for the Yankees from 1949-65. His teammates included fellow legends Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle and Whitey Ford.

In 1956, he caught the only perfect game in World Series history and after the last out leaped into pitcher Don Larsen’s arms. The famous moment was captured in photographs published in newspapers around the world.

After his playing days, Berra coached or managed the Yankees, New York Mets and Houston Astros. He led both the Yankees and Mets to pennants.

In 1985, his firing as manager by the Yankees 16 games into the season sparked a feud with George Steinbrenner. Berra vowed never to return to Yankee Stadium as long was Steinbrenner owned the team.

But in 1999, Berra finally relented, throwing out the ceremonial first pitch of the Yankees’ season-opening game.

Berra, the son of Italian immigrants, got his nickname while growing up in St Louis. Among his amateur baseball teammates was Jack McGuire, another future big leaguer.

"Some of us went to a movie with a yogi in it and afterwards Jack began calling me Yogi. It stuck," Berra told the Saturday Evening Post.

He was a fan favourite, especially with children, and the cartoon character Yogi Bear was named after him.

Growing up, he was anything but a natural.

Chunky and slow, Berra was rejected by his hometown St Louis Cardinals after a tryout in 1943. But a Yankee scout recognised his potential and signed him.

He reached the majors late in the 1946 season and homered in his first at-bat. The next year, he continued to hit well, but his throwing was so erratic he was shifted to the outfield, then benched.

His breakthrough season came in 1948, when he hit .315 with 14 homers and 98 RBIs while continuing to improve his fielding.

"I don't care who the hitter is," New York manager Casey Stengel told the New York Journal-American. "(Berra) knows just how he should be pitched to."

Berra was AL MVP in 1951, 1954 and 1955. He holds World Series records for most hits (71) and most games (75).

“You never think of that when you’re a kid,” Berra said. “But egads, you gotta be somethin’ to get in.”

Lawrence Peter Berra was born in St Louis on May 12, 1925, the son of Pietro, a labourer in a brickyard, and Pauline Berra. He grew up in “The Hill” Italian district, with three older brothers and a younger sister.

Berra was forced to drop out of school in the eighth grade and go to work to help support his family. He took jobs in a coal yard, as a truck driver and in a shoe factory.

He continued to play amateur baseball, which brought him to the attention of major league scouts.

In 1943, his first professional season with the Yankees’ farm team in Norfolk, Virginia, was interrupted by World War II.

He joined the US Navy and later served on a gunboat supporting the D-Day invasion.

Berra married his wife, Carmen, in 1949. The couple, who met in their native St Louis, had three sons, including Dale Berra, who played in the major leagues as an infielder.

Berra published three books: his autobiography in 1961, "It Ain't Over ..." in 1989 and "The Yogi Book: I Really Didn't Say Everything I Said" in 1998. The last made The New York Times' best seller list.

In 1996, Berra was awarded an honourary doctorate from the state university in Montclair, New Jersey, where he and his family lived. The university also named its baseball stadium for Berra. The adjoining Yogi Berra Museum opened in 1998.

The museum houses Berra memorabilia, including what he said was his most prized possession, the mitt he used to catch Larsen’s perfect game.

His wife once asked Berra where he wanted to be buried, in St Louis, New York or Montclair.

“I don’t know,” he said. “Why don’t you surprise me?”

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