Legendary New York Yankees catcher Yogi Berra died of natural causes at the age of 90 Tuesday night at his home in New Jersey.
News of Berra’s death came via the Yogi Berra Museum, and the Yankees’ official Twitter feed paid tribute to their iconic player:
Berra’s family released a statement via the museum: “While we mourn the loss of our father, grandfather and great-grandfather, we know he is at peace with Mom. We celebrate his remarkable life and are thankful he meant so much to so many. He will truly be missed.”
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred also released a statement on Berra’s passing:
Berra, who was inducted into the MLB Hall of Fame in 1972, will be remembered as one of the Yankees’ greatest players. As a player, he played a major part as the club won 10 World Series—five in consecutive years—and was named an All-Star 15 times during his remarkable career. He added three more rings as a coach with the Mets (1969) and Yankees (1977, 1978).
In addition, Berra was named the American League‘s MVP three times: 1951, 1954 and 1955. The Yankees retired his No. 8 jersey in 1972 after he finished his 19-year career with a .285 batting average, 358 home runs and 1,430 RBI.
MLB’s official Twitter feed paid its respects to a true great of the game:
Yankees legend Derek Jeter issued a statement on The Players’ Tribune paying tribute to Berra:
To those who didn’t know Yogi personally, he was one of the greatest baseball players and Yankees of all time. To those lucky ones who did, he was an even better person. To me he was a dear friend and mentor. He will always be remembered for his success on the field, but I believe his finest quality was how he treated everyone with sincerity and kindness. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends.
Away from the field, Berra shined, coining such gems as “It ain’t over ’til it’s over” and “It’s like deja vu all over again,” among many more.
Oakland Athletics right fielder Josh Reddick paid tribute to the man and his pearls of wisdom, which became known as “Yogi-isms”:
Berra also fought for his country in World War II with the Navy, landing on D-Day at the Battle of Normandy as a 19-year-old in the Yankees’ minor league system. The Los Angeles Dodgers‘ Chris Hatcher made reference to Berra’s military service in his tribute:
Berra’s influence went beyond the playing field. Samuel L. Jackson, for instance, recounted some fond time spent with the Yankees man:
Fellow Hall of Famer and former Yankees right fielder Dave Winfield also took to social media to express his sadness:
Berra will be remembered as not only a baseball giant but a sporting one. His career achievements on the field speak for themselves, but the manner in which people gravitated to him away from the game is the measure of a man who will be revered as a baseball immortal and an American icon.
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