Following arguably one of the greatest hitters of all time, Ted Williams, it was certainly large shoes to fill for the youngster from Southampton, New York. Pressure was something Carl Yastrzemski did not believe in. Although Ted Williams set a high bar, Carl Yastrzemski was able to become one of the greatest hitters of his era. In 1967, he won the Triple Crown and MVP, leading the American league in average (.326), homeruns (44), and RBIs (121), while bringing the Red Sox to the World Series.

Not only was he a powerhouse on offence, he became one of the greatest Red Sox outfielders, obtaining seven gold gloves in his career. By the end of his career, he became one of only nine players ever to have more than 3,000 hits and 400 homeruns. It is fair to say he certainly left his place in history.

 

For my baseball profile, I chose my player to be Carl (Yaz) Yastrzemski. I was very interested in Yaz because of what he meant to Boston in his time. I was lucky enough to experience the Red Sox in 2004 when they won their first World Series in 86 years, at such a young age. Many other Red Sox fans were not able to enjoy that privilege and yet Carl Yastrzemski was one of the reasons why fans in Boston had hope in the Red Sox. He was the reason why you would come to watch a Red Sox game. Outside of baseball, I was inspired in his outlook on life, and his appreciation of hard work. He stated in his Hall of Fame speech “Pressure is what faces millions and millions of fathers and mothers trying to earn a living every day to support a family, give it comfort, devotion and love” (biography.com). That is who Carl Yastrzemski truly was, a humble, grateful human being.