Ned Yost

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Yost was born in Eureka, California, and attended Dublin High School. He worked as a pot-scrubber at a Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant to build strength. He walked on at Chabot Junior College. He was drafted twice in 1974, signing with the New York Mets. He went to the Brewers in the Rule 5 draft on December 5, 1977. He played as a backup catcher for the Brewers (1980–1983, including the 1982 World Series), Texas Rangers (1984, career-high 80 games), and Montreal Expos (1985). He ended his career with a .212 batting average and .237 on-base percentage in 605 at-bats. He briefly worked as a taxidermist in Jackson, Mississippi. He was the Braves' bullpen coach (1991–1998) and third base coach (1999–2002), earning a World Series ring in 1995. He managed the Brewers from October 29, 2002, until he was fired on September 15, 2008, with a 457–502 record. He managed the Royals from May 13, 2010, through the 2019 season, retiring on September 23, 2019. He led the Royals to the 2014 World Series and the 2015 World Series championship. He finished his Royals career with 746 wins and 839 losses. On February 11, 2025, the Royals hired him as senior advisor to GM J. J. Picollo.

In Their Own Story

In 2015, Yost led the Royals to a 7–0 start, the second-best beginning in team history. On June 18, 2015, he became the winningest manager in Royals club history following a 3–2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers. The season culminated on the final day when the Royals clinched the best record in the American League at 95–67. They defeated the Houston Astros and Toronto Blue Jays to reach the World Series, where they beat the New York Mets for their first title since 1985. Yost's tenure was not without drama; on August 18, 2015, MLB issued a warning regarding his use of an Apple Watch in the dugout, though it was later rescinded after learning the device required an active iPhone connection. He earned his 1,000th career victory on September 17, 2016, against the Chicago White Sox.

Reader's Guide

Yost is known for his idiosyncratic decision-making and rejection of Sabermetrics. He wore No. 3 as a manager in tribute to Dale Earnhardt. He was successful on a higher percentage of replay challenges than any other MLB manager with ten or more challenges in 2016 (67.6%) and 2018 (75.6%).

Did You Know?

• Yost fell 20 feet from a tree stand near his home in Georgia on November 4, 2017, sustaining a broken pelvis.
• He received an Apple Watch from MLB for winning the 2014 AL pennant, but was warned about using it in the dugout.
• Yost was thrown out of three games in the last week of the 2007 season.