Carl Yastrzemski spent 23 seasons with the Boston Red Sox, playing primarily left field before moving to first base and the designated hitter spot later in his career. An 18-time All-Star, Yastrzemski won 7 Gold Gloves while finishing his career with 452 homers and 3,419 hits. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989, his first year on the ballot, after being named on 94% of the ballots.
I created this sketch card in August 2012.
10 Random Facts About Carl Yastrzemski:
- He is the last player in Major League Baseball to win the Triple Crown, having done so in 1967.
- He won Sports Illustrated's "Sportsman of the Year" title in 1967.
- Yastrzemski's .301 batting mark in 1968 is the lowest average of any batting champion in MLB history.
- He was the first member of the 3,000 hit club to accumulate 400 homers while playing in the American League.
- On May 19, 1976, Yastrzemski hit three home runs against the Detroit Tigers at Tiger Stadium. He then went to Yankee Stadium and hit two more, tying the Major League record of 5 home runs in two consecutive games.
- He is the Red Sox' all-time leader in career RBIs, runs, hits, singles, doubles, total bases, and games played, and is second on the team's list for home runs behind Ted Williams.
- No player has had a longer career with only one team - 23 seasons, a record which he shares with Brooks Robinson of the Baltimore Orioles.
- Yastrzemski won three American League batting championships in his career.
- Yastrzemski trails only Ty Cobb in hits collected with a single team, and trails only Cobb and Tris Speaker in hits collected playing in the American League.
- Both of his parents were of a Polish background, and Yastrzemski was bilingual from an early age.
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