Carl Yastrzemski

Lore & Background

Yastrzemski was born in Southampton, New York, to Karol Yastrzemski (anglicized to Carl) and Hattie Skonieczny. Both his parents were of a Polish background, and young Carl was bilingual from an early age. Raised on his father's potato farm, Carl played on sandlot baseball teams with his father, who, he maintains, was a better athlete than he was. Yastrzemski also played Little League Baseball.

He graduated in 1957 from Bridgehampton School. During his time there he was a successful three sport athlete participating in football, basketball and baseball. Yastrzemski was a career .512 hitter, he also threw a no-hitter with 18 strikeouts in the 1957 Suffolk Championship baseball game in 1957. He also set the Suffolk County record for most points in a varsity basketball season the same year.

He attended Notre Dame on a basketball scholarship briefly before embarking on his baseball career. Yastrzemski, who had studied business at Notre Dame, fulfilled a promise to his parents by finishing his degree at Merrimack College in North Andover, Massachusetts, in 1966.

Reader's Guide

Yastrzemski signed with the Red Sox organization, which sent him to the minor-league Raleigh Capitals, where he led the league with a .377 batting average, winning both the Carolina League Most Valuable Player Award, and Rookie of the year. The organization moved him to the Minneapolis Millers for that post-season, Yastrzemski went 7-for-18 as he and Millers beat the Fort Worth Cats four games to three to win the American Association championship.

They then played the Havana Sugar Kings for the International League championship but were defeated in seven games. Yastrzemski then went on to play the entire season with the Millers. Yastrzemski began his Major League Baseball career in 1961. He hit his first home run off former Boston Red Sox pitcher Jerry Casale.

Upon assuming the left-field position previously held by Ted Williams, he faced significant public and media attention. During his rookie year, he batted .266 with 11 home runs and 80 RBIs. Yastrzemski’s play improved in 1962, when he posted a .296 batting average with 19 home runs, 43 doubles, and 94 RBIs. He emerged as a rising star in 1963, winning the American League batting championship with a .321 average.

He also led the league in doubles (40) and walks (95) and finished sixth in Most Valuable Player voting. Additionally, Yastrzemski was selected to his first All-Star Game and won his first Gold Glove Award. His numbers declined slightly during the 1964 season; he recorded a .289 batting average, hit 15 home runs, and drove in 67 RBIs. He also hit a career-high nine triples that year.

During the 1965 season, Yastrzemski hit for the cycle on May 14 in a 12–8 Red Sox loss to the Detroit Tigers at Fenway Park. He went 5-for-5 with two home runs and one walk, becoming the 13th player in Red Sox history to hit for the cycle while also tying a team record with 14 total bases. He ultimately finished the season batting .312 while also leading the league in on-base percentage (.395), slugging percentage (.536), and OPS (.932). At the end of the year, he was selected for his second Gold Glove Award.

Yastrzemski also led the league in doubles with 45 in 133 games. In 1966, Yastrzemski averaged .278, hit 16 home runs, 80 RBI’s, and led the league in doubles for a third time with 39. He was also selected for his third All-Star game.

Did You Know?

• He won the Triple Crown in 1967, a feat not repeated in the Major Leagues until Miguel Cabrera in 2012.
• Yastrzemski batted .400 with 3 home runs and 5 RBI in the 1967 World Series.