For most of my life I’ve heard/read/seen how Johnny Bench is the greatest catcher in baseball history. (Mickey Cochrane is always ranked number two.)
Then I heard two people mention someone else.
I was chatting with Peter Golenbock, who has written many baseball books, including Dynasty: The New York Yankees 1949-64. I mentioned how I learned the first pinch-hit home run in World Series history was hit by Yogi Berra in 1947 against the Brooklyn Dodgers.
“That’s very Yogi-ish,” said Golenbock, who went on to add he believes Berra is “the greatest catcher in baseball history.”
My neighbor Rich, a real baseball fan who loves details and stats, told me Berra had five seasons in which he hit more home runs than he had strike-outs.
Time, I thought, to look into Berra.
Then I saw a commercial for an upcoming documentary about Yogi, called, “It Ain’t Over.” The film was spearheaded by Berra’s granddaughter, Lindsey. They were watching the 2015 All-Star game in which the greatest living players were brought on the field: Henry Aaron, Willie Mays, Johnny Bench, and Sandy Koufax.
“Are you dead?” Lindsey asked her grandfather.
“Not yet,” he replied.
Also in the preview is Yankee fanatic Billy Crystal, who says, “He was the most overlooked superstar in the history of baseball.”
