No player in baseball is as simultaneously important and unimportant as a pinch-hitter. There is a good chance that bench batters will not see the field during any given game, but if they perform when called upon late in a game, they could find themselves quickly turned into a fan favorite.
“Yankees Flashback: Thairo Estrada enters the game as a pinch-hitter and clears the bases with a double” – @BronxBmbrz
Enter Yogi Berra. The legendary catcher of the New York Yankees remains one of the most beloved players in the club’s history. While he is one of the greatest players in Yankees history, his legendary status began early in his career.
While he was hardly the household name he would later become, in 1947, Berra had played less than 100 games in the MLB. However, during Game 3 of the 1947 World Series against the Brooklyn Dodgers, Yogi Berra made history.
In the seventh inning and with the New York Yankees down 9-7, Berra entered the game for Sherm Lollar. The 22-year-old Berra launched a pitch from Brooklyn’s Ralph Branca over the fence, cementing his name in MLB history as the first pinch-hitter to hit a home run in the World Series.
In the seventh inning of World Series Game 3 #OTD in 1947, Yogi Berra entered as a pinch-hitter and hit the first pinch-hit home run in World Series play. It was the second pinch-hit home run Berra hit that year. https://t.co/BLsQW7ctAQ
“In the seventh inning of World Series Game 3 #OTD in 1947, Yogi Berra entered as a pinch-hitter and hit the first pinch-hit home run in World Series play. It was the second pinch-hit home run Berra hit that year.” – National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
While Berra’s home run cut the Yankees’ deficit to one, they ultimately lost the game 9-8 with the Brooklyn Dodgers taking a 2-1 series lead. The Yankees went on to win the series in Game 7, giving the Bronx Bombers their 11th title in franchise history.
In 1952, another New York Yankees pinch-hitter hit another World Series home run off of a Dodgers pitcher when Johnny Mize homered off of Preacher Roe on Oct. 3.
A look at the Hall of Fame career of the first pinch-hitter to hit a home run in the World Series, Yogi Berra
Although Yogi Berra retired in 1965, he remains the MLB record holder for the most World Series wins with 10 total championships won during his career. The 19-year New York catcher was elected to the All-Star Team 18 times, while also winning three MVP awards. He finished his career with 358 home runs, 1,430 RBIs and a .285 batting average. Berra was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1972.
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