This next player is one of my PC guys now, but back in 1981 all I knew was his stats filled the entire back of his cards. By the time we traded with the Old Man in 1982 or so, I knew that this guy was greatness.
Carl Yastrzemski. Yaz. Even most young (20-something) collectors know who Yaz is. The last man to win the Triple Crown is who Yaz is. I just ended two sentences with is. Make it three and the editor in Night Owl is using white out on his monitor trying to cover it up.
I wish I had been smart enough to try to trade for any of the 60s Yaz cards. Unfortunately, 12 year old boy and "smart" aren't often used in the same sentence.
Yaz played from 1961-1983. That is 23 seasons in the Bigs. He played in 3,308 games, only appearing in less than 100 games one time in his career. He scored 1,816 runs (15th all-time), had 3,419 hits (6th all-time), hit 452 homers and drove in 1,844 RBIs (12th all-time). He drove in 100+ RBIs 5 times. His career average is .285. Throw in 168 stolen bases for good measure and you have some great numbers.
Yaz was a 14 time All-Star, winnning the MVP in 1970. He played in two World Series, 1967 and 1975, both 7 Game Series that Boston lost. Yaz hit .352 with 3 homers and 9 RBIs in his two World Series appearances.
His personal awards include 7 Gold Gloves and one Most Valuable Player award following his amazing 1967 season. Yaz was the last player to win the Triple Crown, leading the A.L. in 1967 with 44 homers, 121 RBIs and a .326 batting average.
Carl Yastrzemski was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989 with 94.63% of the vote.
I've since upgraded this card a bit, but I still have this one. I also have all the Yaz cards from 1970 up to 1983. I'm looking to get the ones from the 60's but those are a little more pricey.
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