Lawrence Peter "
Yogi"
Berra (May 12, 1925 – September 22, 2015) was an American professional
baseball catcher,
manager, and
coach who played 19 seasons in
Major League Baseball (MLB) (1946–63, 1965), all but the last for the
New York Yankees. An 18-time
All-Star and 10-time
World Series champion as a player, Berra had a career
batting average of .285, while compiling 358
home runs and 1,430
runs batted in. He is one of only five players to win the
American League Most Valuable Player Award three times. Widely regarded as one of the greatest catchers in baseball history, Berra was elected to the
Baseball Hall of Fame in
1972.