Carl Yastrzemski

Carl Michael Yastrzemski Sr. ( ; born August 22, 1939), nicknamed "Yaz", is an American former professional baseball player who played his entire 23-year career with the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). He started his career primarily as a left fielder, but also played 33 games as a third baseman. Later in his career, he was mainly a first baseman and designated hitter. He is second on the all-time list for games played, and third for total at-bats. He is the Red Sox's all-time leader in career RBIs, runs, hits, singles, doubles, total bases, and games played, and is third on the team list for home runs, behind Ted Williams and David Ortiz.

In Yastrzemski achieved a peak in his career, leading the Red Sox to the American League pennant for the first time in over two decades and being voted the 1967 American League MVP. Yastrzemski also won the Triple Crown that year, something not accomplished again in the Major Leagues until Miguel Cabrera did so in 2012.

Early life Yastrzemski was born in Southampton, New York, to Karol Yastrzemski (anglicized to Carl) and Hattie Skonieczny. He graduated in 1957 from Bridgehampton School. During his time there he was a successful three sport athlete participating in football, basketball and baseball. Yastrzemski was a career .512 hitter, he also threw a no-hitter with 18 strikeouts in the 1957 Suffolk Championship baseball game in 1957. He also set the Suffolk County record for most points in a varsity basketball season the same year. During his senior basketball season he set the Bridgehampton scoring record previously held by Jim Brown. He attended Notre Dame on a basketball scholarship briefly before embarking on his baseball career.

Yastrzemski, who had studied business at Notre Dame, fulfilled a promise to his parents by finishing his degree at Merrimack College in North Andover, Massachusetts, in 1966.

Major League career

Early career and rise to prominence (1959–1966) Yastrzemski signed with the Red Sox organization, which sent him to the minor-league Raleigh Capitals in , where he led the league with a .377 batting average, winning both the Carolina League Most Valuable Player Award, and Rookie of the year. The organization moved him to the Minneapolis Millers for that post-season, Yastrzemski 7-for-18 as he and Millers beat the Fort Worth Cats four games to three to win the American Association championship. They then played the Havana Sugar Kings for the International League championship but were defeated in seven games. Yastrzemski then went on to play the entire season with the Millers.

Yastrzemski began his Major League Baseball career in . Upon assuming the left-field position previously held by Ted Williams, he faced significant public and media attention. Additionally, Yastrzemski was selected to his first All-Star Game and won his first Gold Glove Award. His numbers declined slightly during the 1964 season; he recorded a .289 batting average, hit 15 home runs, and drove in 67 RBIs. He also hit a career-high nine triples that year. Not long after raising his average again, Yastrzemski suffered another setback when he pulled a leg muscle, causing him to miss 13 games and preventing him from appearing in the All-Star Game. Once back in the lineup, he resumed hitting well, carrying a .332 average as late as August 27. He ultimately finished the season batting .312 while also leading the league in on-base percentage (.395), slugging percentage (.536), and OPS (.932). Yastrzemski also led the league in doubles with 45 in 133 games. Since the start of the Modern Era in 1901, only five players—Nap Lajoie, Tris Speaker-2x, Bob Meusel, Frankie Frisch and Ben Chapman have had as many doubles in few games. During that year’s offseason Yastrzemski spent his time working out to improve his stamina and gain extra muscle.

1967 was the season of the "Impossible Dream" for the Red Sox (referring to the hit song from the musical Man of La Mancha), who rebounded from a ninth-place finish a year before to win the American League pennant (their first since ) on the last day of the season. With the Red Sox battling as part of a four-team pennant race, Yastrzemski hit .513 (23 hits in 44 at-bats) with five home runs and 16 runs batted in over the last two weeks of the season, and the Red Sox finished a mere one game ahead of the Detroit Tigers and Minnesota Twins. The Red Sox went into the final two games of the season trailing the Twins by one game and leading the Tigers by one-half game. Their final two games were against Minnesota, with the pennant and home run title (hence, the triple crown) on the line. In the Saturday game, Yastrzemski went 3 for 4 with a home run and 4 RBI. 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 final game, neither player homered, but Yastrzemski went 4 for 4 with 2 RBI in a 5-3 Red Sox win. In the two games with the pennant on the line, Yastrzemski was 7 for 8 with six RBIs.

The Red Sox lost the World Series four games to three to the St. Louis Cardinals, losing three times to Bob Gibson. Yastrzemski batted .400 with 3 home runs and 5 RBI in the series. After the season, he fell one vote shy of a unanimous MVP award. He also won the Hickok Belt as top professional athlete of the year and Sports Illustrated magazine's "Sportsman of the Year" Award.

In an article he co-wrote for the November 1967 issue of SPORT magazine, Yastrzemski credited Boston's remarkable season to manager Dick Williams and an infusion of youth, including Rico Petrocelli and Tony Conigliaro. 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."

Later career (1968–1983)

In 1968, Yastrzemski hit 23 home runs and drove in 74 RBIs. He led the league in OPS with .922 and in walks with 119, and once again won the batting championship with a .301 average. Because of the competitive advantages pitchers enjoyed between 1963 and 1968 (before the lowering of the pitcher's mound following the 1968 season) Yastrzemski's .301 mark in the "Year of the Pitcher" is the lowest average ever recorded by a batting champion in Major League history. He was also the only hitter in the American League to bat .300 that season against such formidable pitching and led the league in on-base percentage and walks.

In 1969, Yastrzemski had the first of two consecutive 40-home-run seasons as he helped lead the Red Sox to a third-place finish that year and the next. He drove in 111 runs that season, finished with a .255 batting average, and won his fifth Gold Glove Award. He is one of only two players to win the All-Star Game MVP Award while playing for the losing team, the other being Brooks Robinson in 1966. That season, Yastrzemski led the league in slugging percentage .592, OPS 1.044, and total bases 335. In 1970, Yastrzemski also led the league in slugging and on-base percentage while finishing third in home runs. In February of that year, Yastrzemski signed a three-year contract extension with the Red Sox reportedly worth $500,000, making him the highest-paid player in professional baseball history at the time. In 1972, Yastrzemski hit 12 home runs and finished with a .264 batting average. He also batted over .300 for the sixth and final time in his career and hit 15 home runs. The three-run homer accounted for the only runs the American League scored that night, as they ultimately lost 6–3. During the regular season, Yastrzemski batted .269 with 14 home runs and 60 RBIs; however, he excelled during the postseason. In the American League Championship Series against Oakland, he went 5-for-11 with a home run and two RBIs. He made the final out in Game 7 on a fly ball to center field while the Red Sox trailed by one run. Coincidentally, he also made the final out of the 1978 American League East tie-breaker game, popping out in foul territory to third base. That game featured Bucky Dent’s famous home run (although Reggie Jackson’s homer ultimately proved to be the winning run). Earlier in the game, Yastrzemski opened the scoring with a home run off left-handed pitcher Ron Guidry, who was having a career year (25 wins, 3 losses, and a 1.74 ERA). He then went to Yankee Stadium and hit two more, tying the major league record of five home runs in two consecutive games. He finished the year batting .269 with 21 home runs. That year, Yastrzemski batted .296, hit 28 home runs, and won his seventh and final Gold Glove Award, after tieing an MLB record with 1.000 fielding percentage during the season. Over 12 seasons as a left fielder, Yastrzemski won seven Gold Glove Awards and led the team in assists seven times.

In 1978, Yastrzemski, then 39, was one of the five oldest players in the league. That year, he batted .277 and hit 17 home runs. He finished the year with a .270 batting average and was selected to his 15th consecutive All-Star Game. There was an hour-long pregame ceremony celebrating his career. During his speech, he asked for a moment of silence for his mother and for former Red Sox owner Tom Yawkey. After thanking his family and the entire Red Sox organization, he concluded his remarks by saying, "New England, I love you." though he wrote in his autobiography Yaz that he was planning on playing the 1984 season until he was tired from a prolonged midseason slump. He also said that had he known how good Roger Clemens would be, he would have played in 1984 to have had a chance to play with him. 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 (1965–71). John concluded that Yastrzemski must be remembering his years with the Yankees beginning in 1979, when John fared better in their matchups.

After retirement, Yastrzemski delved into other professions such as sportscasting, along with working as marketing director for a meat manufacturer. He is still involved with the Red Sox previously working as a minor-league hitting instructor, he then worked as a roving instructor with the Red Sox and helped batters during Spring Training till his retirement in 2020. He was honored by throwing out the ceremonial first pitch for Game 1 of the 2004, 2007, 2013, and 2018 World Series. Yastrzemski threw out the first pitch at Fenway Park on April 4, 2025, after a ceremony honoring the 50th anniversary of the 1975 Boston Red Sox team.

Legacy He had a long career with only one team, 23 seasons, a record he shares with Brooks Robinson of the Baltimore Orioles. He reached base 5,304 times in his career (not including errors), which is the fifth most in AL/NL history. He was named to the All-Star Game 18 times. In 1999, Yastrzemski ranked 72nd on The Sporting News''' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players. That same season, he was named a finalist to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. Prior to his induction in the Baseball Hall of Fame, Yastrzemski was inducted into the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame in 1986. He was inducted into the Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame on Long Island in the Baseball Category with the Class of 1990. He was inducted as an inaugural member of the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame in 1995. The Red Sox later honored him with a statue outside Fenway Park on September 23, 2013. In 2022 ESPN ranked him 61st on their list of the 100 Greatest MLB players of all time. Yastrzemski presenting his 1970 MLB All-Star Game MVP trophy to 37th President Richard Nixon. Yastrzemski proved a worthy successor for Red Sox’s superstar left fielder Ted Williams, whom he took over for upon joining the league. In fact, he is often regarded as one of the best players in Red Sox history. In acknowledgement of Yastrzemski's loyalty to the team, a 2022 New York Times article wrote, "there is no man alive today whose Red Sox career matched or eclipsed Yastrzemski’s." An additional 2026 NESN article added, "Carl Yastrzemski’s impact on the Red Sox is measured in more than highlights. It’s in the way he defined a generation of Fenway baseball, delivered one of the franchise’s most legendary seasons in 1967, and retired with a Hall of Fame résumé that still reads like a blueprint for what a 'Red Sox lifer' looks like."

The Carl Yastrzemski Award is given annually to the most outstanding high school baseball player in Suffolk County, Long Island, New York. In April of 2022, a historic marker honoring Yastrzemski as "one of the greatest baseball players of all time" was unveiled at Bridgehampton High School’s new baseball field.

In popular culture In the season 2 episode of The Simpsons "Three Men and a Comic Book" Martin and Milhouse attempt to buy a 1973 Topps card of Carl Yastrzemski, "when he had the big sideburns."

Career statistics Season Team G AB H HR RBI BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS 1961 Boston Red Sox 148 583 155 11 80 50 96 .266 .324 .396 .721 1962 Boston Red Sox 160 646 191 19 94 66 82 .296 .363 .469 .832 1963 Boston Red Sox 151 570 183 14 68 95 72 .321 .418 .475 .894 1964 Boston Red Sox 151 567 164 15 67 75 90 .289 .374 .451 .825 1965 Boston Red Sox 133 494 154 20 72 70 58 .312 .395 .536 .932 1966 Boston Red Sox 160 594 165 16 80 84 60 .278 .368 .431 .799 1967 Boston Red Sox 161 579 189 44 121 91 69 .326 .418 .622 1.040 1968 Boston Red Sox 157 539 162 23 74 119 90 .301 .426 .495 .922 1969 Boston Red Sox 162 603 154 40 111 101 91 .255 .362 .507 .870 1970 Boston Red Sox 161 566 186 40 102 128 66 .329 .452 .592 1.044 1971 Boston Red Sox 148 508 129 15 70 106 60 .254 .381 .392 .772 1972 Boston Red Sox 125 455 120 12 68 67 44 .264 .357 .391 .748 1973 Boston Red Sox 152 540 160 19 95 105 58 .296 .407 .463 .870 1974 Boston Red Sox 148 515 155 15 79 104 48 .301 .414 .445 .859 1975 Boston Red Sox 149 543 146 14 60 87 67 .269 .371 .405 .776 1976 Boston Red Sox 155 546 146 21 102 80 67 .267 .357 .432 .790 1977 Boston Red Sox 150 558 165 28 102 73 40 .296 .372 .505 .877 1978 Boston Red Sox 144 523 145 17 81 76 44 .277 .367 .423 .790 1979 Boston Red Sox 147 518 140 21 87 62 46 .270 .346 .450 .796 1980 Boston Red Sox 105 364 100 15 50 44 38 .275 .350 .462 .812 1981 Boston Red Sox 91 338 83 7 53 49 28 .246 .338 .355 .693 1982 Boston Red Sox 131 459 126 16 72 59 50 .275 .358 .431 .789 1983 Boston Red Sox 119 380 101 10 56 54 29 .266 .359 .408 .767

Personal life In August of 2008 Yastrzemski underwent emergency triple-bypass heart surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital after experiencing chest pain. He was released from the hospital the following week after a successful recovery.

Yastrzemski has a long-standing, relationship with the Jimmy Fund, which supports pediatric and adult cancer research and care at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. During his final MLB game in 1983 he famously donated his game-worn jerseys for auction to support the charity.

Family In 1960, Yastrzemski married his first wife Carol; together they had four children: Sue, Mary Ann, Carolyn and Carl Jr. Carl Jr., known as Mike, played college baseball for the Florida State Seminoles and was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the third round in 1984. He started his professional career with the Durham Bulls. Eventually, he played for two Chicago White Sox affiliated teams in the Triple-A Pacific Coast League, first with the Hawaii Islanders in 1987 and then ending his playing career with the Vancouver Canadians in 1988. He died in 2004 at age 43 from a blood clot after having hip surgery.

Carl's grandson Mike Yastrzemski (Carl Jr's son) plays for the Atlanta Braves. He was drafted by the Red Sox in 2009 and the Seattle Mariners in 2012. However, he did not sign with either team, instead choosing to play college baseball for the Vanderbilt Commodores. He signed with the Baltimore Orioles after being selected in the 2013 MLB draft. He rose through Baltimore's farm system, reaching Triple-A with the Norfolk Tides by 2016. In March 2019, he was traded to the San Francisco Giants organization, and he made his MLB debut with the Giants on May 25, 2019. On September 17, as a member of the Giants, in his first game played at Fenway Park, Mike went 2-for-7 with a home run and a double. In the next game of the series on September 18, Carl threw out the ceremonial first pitch to Mike. Yastrzemski became a great grandfather in 2021 when Mike’s first child Quinley was born.

In 2002, Yastrzemski married his second wife Nancy. The two currently reside in Boxford, Massachusetts.

Publications Following the 1967 season Yastrzemski released his first autobiography Yaz in 1968 which he co wrote alongside Al Hirshberg. In 1990 Yastrzemski released his second autobiography Yaz : baseball, the wall, and me'' which was co written with Gerald Eskenazi.

Career regular season statistics Through the end of the 2017 season, on the all-time lists for Major League Baseball, Yastrzemski ranks first for games played for one team, second for games played, third for at-bats, sixth for bases on balls, eighth for doubles, ninth for hits, ninth for total bases, 13th for extra-base hits, and 14th for RBIs. Received an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Boston University (1988)