Bio of carl yastrzemski triple

Raised on his father's potato farm, Carl played on sandlot baseball teams with his father, who, he maintains, was a better athlete than he was. He graduated in from Bridgehampton School. Yastrzemski signed with the Red Sox organization, which sent him to the minor-league Raleigh Capitals in , where he led the league with a. Yastrzemski began his major-league career in [ 2 ] and hit his first home run off of former Red Sox pitcher Jerry Casale.

In 12 years as a left fielder, Yastrzemski won seven Gold Gloves and led the team in assists seven times. While his first two years were viewed as solid but unspectacular, he emerged as a rising star in , winning the American League batting championship with a batting average of. Yastrzemski enjoyed his best season in , when he won the American League Triple Crown with a.

Their final two games were against Minnesota with the pennant and home run title hence, the triple crown on the line. Killebrew also homered, but the Red Sox won, 6—4. Thus the teams went into the final game tied for first place, and Yastrzemski and Killebrew were tied with 44 home runs apiece. In the two games with the pennant on the line, Yastrzemski was 7 for 8 with six RBIs.

Louis Cardinals , losing three times to Bob Gibson. That season, he also won the Hickok Belt as top professional athlete of the year and Sports Illustrated magazine's " Sportsman of the Year " Award. Of Williams, Yastrzemski wrote: "He got rid of all the individuality, made us into a team, gave us an incentive, and made us want to win. In Yastrzemski again won the batting championship.

In , Yastrzemski had the first of two consecutive home run seasons as he led the Red Sox to third-place finishes that year and the next. He also suffered a permanent shoulder injury that reduced his power, causing him to change his distinctive batting stance. Although he hit but 61 home runs over the next four years — as the Red Sox finished second twice and third twice, he finished in the top 10 in batting, and top three in on-base percentage and walks in and , and led the league in runs scored in In the All-Star Game , Yastrzemski was called to pinch-hit in the sixth inning, with two men on base and the American League down 3—0.

Without wearing a batting helmet, he hit Tom Seaver 's first pitch for a home run to tie the score. Yastrzemski and the Red Sox suffered another World Series loss in , losing four games to three to the Cincinnati Reds. Earlier in the game, Yastrzemski began the scoring with a home run off left-handed pitcher Ron Guidry , who was having a career year 25 wins, 3 losses and a 1.

Yastrzemski retired at the end of the season at age 44, [ 37 ] though he wrote in his autobiography Yaz that he was planning on playing the season until he was tired from a long midseason slump. He also said that had he known how good Roger Clemens would be, he would have played in to have had a chance to play with him. No player has had a longer career with only one team, 23 seasons, a record he shares with Brooks Robinson of the Baltimore Orioles.

Yastrzemski was the first player to collect over 3, hits and home runs solely in the American League the feat has since been accomplished by Cal Ripken Jr. By the time of his retirement, he was the all-time leader in plate appearances, since surpassed by Pete Rose. He is one of the few Hall of Famers to directly succeed another Hall of Famer at the same position.

Yastrzemski was well known for his batting stance, holding his bat exceptionally high, giving his swing a large, dramatic arc unexpectedly so for a well-known "fastball hitter" , and more power at the plate.

Bio of carl yastrzemski triple

In his later years, he adjusted his stance and held the bat lower. In his autobiography, Yastrzemski revealed that he played his last eight years with a damaged left shoulder he kept secret, and said this injury reduced his home run power. Before that, he could hit home runs to all fields, but afterward, his home run power was mainly in pulling the ball.

This is why Yastrzemski no longer held the bat high and used several batting stances to adjust to the injured shoulder. He explained that with each new stance, he had to change the way he swung. This is why Yastrzemski never came close to hitting 40 home runs again. He was also known for modifying his batting helmets by enlarging the right earhole for comfort and removing part of the right earflap for better vision of the ball as it was being pitched.

He decoyed opposing baserunners with his left-field play. On fly balls headed for Fenway's Wall, Yastrzemski lined up as if about to make the catch just in front of the wall, waiting until the last possible moment before wheeling around to play the carom. This would fool baserunners into tagging up for precious extra seconds, preventing them from taking an extra base, and if they tried anyway, his deft handling of the bounce and accurate throwing arm were liable to make them pay the price.

Once while running the basepaths himself, Yastrzemski found a unique way to induce a throwing error. Thrown out at second base, he failed to head immediately for the dugout, as is customary. Opponents made a protracted attempt at tagging out another runner in a rundown or "pickle", but soon were flabbergasted to see a Red Sox player rounding third and heading for home.

A panicked throw to the catcher far missed the mark, allowing Yastrzemski to appear to score, but more importantly, allowing the runner behind him to advance. Earlier in the film, Ben's girlfriend, Lindsay Meeks Drew Barrymore , not yet familiar with the triumphs and tribulations of the Red Sox, is unable to properly pronounce Yastrzemski's name, and has to be corrected by the surrounding fans: "Ya-STREM-ski!

Yastrzemski thought that Tommy John was one of the hardest pitchers for him to hit against. This surprised John, who remembered Yastrzemski hitting him well while he was with the White Sox John concluded that Yastrzemski must be remembering his years with the Yankees beginning in , when John fared better in their matchups. His son Carl Michael Yastrzemski Jr.

He started his professional career with the Durham Bulls and eventually played for two Chicago White Sox affiliated teams in the Triple-A Pacific Coast League , first with the Hawaii Islanders in and then ending his playing career with the Vancouver Canadians in A seven-time Gold Glove winner, Yaz earned the honor of 18 All-Star Game appearances, and is generally considered one of the finest defensive left fielders of all-time.

Yastrzemski officially retired after the season, taking his memorable final lap around Fenway Park. Elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame on the first ballot in Yastrzemski is now a roving instructor with the Red Sox. He won the Triple Crown by hitting. Yastrzemski constantly tinkered with his batting stance but remained consistent.

Outside of the brilliance of and his three batting crowns, it was his consistency as much as anything that earned him Hall of Fame honors, but he was also a clutch hitter. Besides his feats, he hit. He went 4-for-4 with two walks in the All-Star Game. Yaz was the final out in game 7, trailing by one run. He retired in , at the age of No player has had a longer career with only one team.

His final career statistics include games played second all-time , home runs, RBI, and a batting average of. He had walks in his career, sixth all-time.