BERRA, YOGI

orig. Lawrence Peter Berra

born May 12, 1925, St. Louis, Mo., U.S.

U.S. baseball player, manager, and coach.

Berra joined the New York Yankees in 1946 and served as the team's regular catcher from 1949 until his retirement in 1963. He was named the American League 's Most Valuable Player in 1951, 1954, and 1955. He caught in more World Series games (75) than any other catcher and hit 20 or more home runs a season through 1958. He managed the Yankees in 1964 but was fired and became a coach and manager (1965–75) with the New York Mets. He returned to the Yankees as a coach (1976–82) and later manager (1983–85). He was known for idiosyncratic remarks such as "It ain't over till it's over" and "It's déjà vu all over again." The American cartoon character Yogi Bear was named for him.