YAZ in '67 -- A Clutch Season. A Hero for the ages!

Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame Out Fielder - Carl Yastrzemski. Go to: http://www.yaz8.com/

YAZ at 65 in 2004. I took this pic of Yaz with the late Charlie Wagner and the first Gold Glover at 3B - Frank Malzone at the Red Sox Spring Training Camp.

The magical 1975 Red Sox Team led by its Captain #8 - YAZ.

Baseball Hall of Fame Inductees Class of 1989. YAZ 2nd from right next to Johnny Bench.

Rivals in the 1975 World Series, but linked in their pure hitting ability. YAZ & Pete Rose.

Charlie Hustle - Pete Rose smiles with Yaz.

Yaz with Mr. October - Reggie Jackson.

Yaz & TW - you do not need to say the entire name. Every New Englander knows these two men. Both Triple Crown Award winners. Both went to the World Series to suffer the same Game 7 dissatisfaction. BUT, YAZ & Teddy ball game will live in our hearts forever.

Carl Yastrzemski led the Boston Red Sox to the World Series in 1967 - 40 years ago! The drive to the Pennant began in late August with a 10 game winning streak. The greatest race in the history of baseball called for 4 teams to go to the last 2 days of '67 to determine who would play the St. Louis Cardinals in the Series.

YAZ bat was the sounding board for the success of the Sox thru the last day of the season against the Twins. He led the Sox to a Game 7 at Fenway Park, only to lose 7-2 to Bob Gibson.

YAZ returned to the Big Series in 1975 and was the last person up after Joe Morgan shot a single into center field to plate the lead run in a 4-3 Sox loss to the Big Red machine.

We remember the great things Yaz accomplished on the field. His long-time affiliation with the Sox has endeared him to many generations of Sox Fans.

The Boston Baseball Heads dedicate this segment to the memory of the 1967 Red Sox and Carl Yastremski - THE MAN THEY CALL YAZ!

BIOGRAPHY

Carl Michael Yastrzemski, better known as "Yaz" or "Captain Carl", was born on August 22, 1939 in Southhampton, Long Island.

The son of a potato farmer, Yastrzemski grew up in the small town of Bridgehampton, Long Island.He attended Bridgehampton High School, where he set numerous records in basketball, football and baseball. As a basketball player, he set the all-time individual conference scoring record of 628 points. As a baseball players, Yastrzemski hit .512 for his career at Bridgehampton High.

After graduating from high school in 1957, Yastrzemski went on to attend Notre Dame University with a scholarship to play both baseball and basketball. While still in his first year at Notre Dame, his seemingly limitless potential on the ballfield led him to sign a baseball contract with the Boston Red Sox.After signing with the Red Sox, Yastrzemski was immediately assigned to Raleigh of the Carolina League. In 1959, as a member of the Raleigh club, he led the league in batting with a .377 average (64 points higher than his nearest competitor). He was also named the league's Most Valuable Player and Rookie of the Year. In 1960 he moved up to the Red Sox Triple A Minneapolis team, where he fell just short of winning his second batting title in as many years.In 1961, Yastrzemski finally arrived in the Major Leagues as the heir apparent to the legendary Ted Williams in left field. For 23 years, Yastrzemski proudly wore his famous "#8" for the Red Sox, with his extraordinary batting style and his unmatched skill in patrolling the grounds in front of the Green Monster.

In the Red Sox' 1967 "Impossible Dream" season, he won the American League Triple Crown and was named the A.L.'s Most Valuable Player. At the time of his retirement, Yastrzemski was the all-time American League leader in games played (3,308) and was the only American League player to amass 3,000 hits and 400 home runs (finishing with 3,419 and 452 respectively, to go along with 1,844 RBI).

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 1983 season, taking his memorable final lap around Fenway Park. Elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame on the first ballot in 1989, Yastrzemski is now a roving instructor with the Red Sox. “Yaz did it all the time. We'd be on the road and he'd call, 'C'mon, we're going to the ballpark.' I'd say, 'Christ, it's only one o'clock. The game's at seven.' He lived, breathed, ate, and slept baseball. If he went 0-for-4, he couldn't live with it. He could live with himself if he went 1-for-3. He was happy if he went 2-for-4. That's the way the man suffered.” — Outfielder Joe Lahoud