Damn Yankees by Edward Drobinski - HTML preview

Damn Yankees

Page 156

getting the most out of them. They liked the way he called a game and his defense bailed them out of many jams. “He springs on a bunt like it was another dollar,” is how Casey described the quickness of his backstop. At the plate there was just no way to pitch to Berra especially with the game on the line as he swung at everything he could reach and usually connected. “He is the toughest man in the league in the last three innings,” moaned rival manager Paul Richards.

Yogi won back to back MVP’s in 1954-55, drove in a career high 125 runs in 1954 and made it four straight three figure RBI

campaigns with 108 and 105 respectively in 1955-56. 1956 saw the Yankees return to the top of the baseball world as they rebounded from their previous season’s World Series setback to the Dodgers by defeating Brooklyn. The icing on the cake for Berra was calling and catching Don Larsen’s game five perfect

game, the first and only no hitter in Series history. As the fifties wound down the Yankees continued to win with another Pennant in 1957 and a Pennant and World Championship in 1958. With age catching up to him Yogi began to catch less and returned to the outfield on occasion as Elston Howard emerged to become the Yankees regular catcher.

Berra had his last productive year in 1961 hitting 22 homeruns and combined with Howard and Johnny Blanchard to give New York a