Sports of Boston » Carl Yastrzemski

Happy Birthday Yaz! Carl Yastrzemski Turns 70

KC Downey — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 16:34:44 +0000

Red Sox great and MLB Hall-of-Famer Carl Yastrzemski turns 70 on Saturday. Yaz spent all of his 23 big league seasons with the Red Sox, and is one of the few players in major league history with over 3,000 hits and over 400 home runs.

Yaz battled some health problems in 2008 when he hospitalized with chest pains. He underwent successful triple-bypass heart surgery, and was released from the hospital a week after his 69th birthday.

In one of the most pivotal seasons in Red Sox history, Yaz helped the team realize the Impossible Dream. He led the Sox to the 1967 World Series against the Cardinals, and in doing so, he completed the last Triple Crown season in the majors. That year, Yaz hit .326 with 44 HRs and 121 RBI, and won his only MVP award.

So we at SoB salute Carl Yastrzemski, the greatest living Red Sox player. Happy Birthday Yaz!

Red Sox to Retire Jim Rice’s Number

Teddy — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 00:15:17 +0000

With a Hall of Fame induction coming this Sunday, Jim Rice will soon be embedded in Red Sox history by having his number retired.

Rice’s No. 14 will be the seventh Red Sox number retired and eighth overall, following the league-wide retiring of Jackie Robinson’s No. 42. His number will be placed on the Fenway Walls alongside Bobby Doerr (1), Joe Cronin (4), Johnny Pesky (6), Carl Yastrzemski (8), Ted Williams (9) and Carlton Fisk (27).

Rice is third in Red Sox history in hits, home runs, and RBI behind both Yaz and Williams respectfully. He will now join his fellow leftfielders in two highly selective groups, starting with Cooperstown and then in Boston. They are both just reminders of the impact Rice has had on not just the Red Sox, but in the game of baseball himself.

Over his entire 15-year career with the Red Sox, Rice earned eight All-Star game selections and was the AL MVP in 1978. He was not available for the Sox during their 1975 World Series run, which they eventually lost to the Cincinnati Reds. He was, however, part of the 1986 Red Sox team that made another push. He hit a home run in game seven of the ALCS against the Angles and was one out away from a World Series victory against the Mets. Everyone knows how that one turned out.

His MVP season was the best of his entire career. In 1978, he blasted 46 home runs, drove in 139 runs, and even had 15 triples. Former teammate Dennis Eckersley said, “it was the best year I’ve seen offensively.”

Along with Fred Lynn, he was part of the Gold Dust Twins. The two were a powerhouse duo that helped the Sox make the push for the ‘75 pennant. For all the highs, there were lows. Despite being the ’78 MVP, Rice was part of the one-game playoff against the Yankees that saw a Bucky Dent home run ruin everything.

Just as long as his career, Rice had to wait 15 more years, and in his final year of eligibility, he received 76 percent approval to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. To be inducted, a member needs to receive 75 percent from the Baseball Writers Association of America. He will join Ricky Henderson this Sunday to have his plaque placed in the halls with the game’s greats.

To have his number retired by the Red Sox was another long journey. The Red Sox organization has two criteria: first, the player needs to be elected into the Hall of Fame, and second, the player has to have played at least ten years in a Boston uniform. For Rice, it was clear the Sox weren’t going to wait long and this coming Tuesday against the Athletics, Rice will be remembered as one of Boston’s best.

He deserves the awards. He was a consummate professional and someone who let his play speak for him. In a time where players like Reggie Jackson were flashy and loud, Rice was a silent slugger and one of the brightest stars of the 70’s.

“You just cherish what you have,” Rice said about his induction. “You cherish that you’re in the Hall of Fame. You cherish that you’re in an elite category of guys that have played the game and have played the game one way: hard.”

For Rice, it was a long time coming and he’s a player that will forever be remembered by Red Sox Nation.

Carl Yastrzemski Released from Hospital

KC Downey — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 21:57:03 +0000

Yaz surgery “a complete success”

Carl Yastrzemski, who turned 69 last Friday, was released from the hospital one week after undergoing triple bypass heart surgery, a Red Sox team spokesman said Tuesday.

According to the Globe’s Amalie Benjamin, Yaz “underwent a six-hour procedure last week to reroute the flow of blood around blockages in three arteries to his heart.”

His family released a statement saying the surgery was “a complete success.”

Carl Yastrzemski Hospitalized with Chest Pains

KC Downey — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 19:01:54 +0000

Yaz undergoes successful heart surgery

Carl Yastrzemski underwent successful triple bypass heart surgery Tuesday night. His spokesman said the Hall-of-Famer is “resting comfortably” after the surgery, and the procedure was indeed “a success.” Yaz will turn 69 on Friday.

A Red Sox legend and MLB Hall of Famer, Yastrzemski, 68, was hospitalized Tuesday with chest pains.

The Red Sox confirmed Tuesday that the former OF was at Massachusetts General Hospital undergoing evaluation and testing to determine the cause of the chest pains.

More from ESPN.com’s report on Tuesday:

When asked if it was serious, Yastrzemski spokesman Dick Gordon said: “Any time you are in the hospital, it’s got to be pretty serious.”

UPDATE (5 p.m. Tuesday)

According to the Globe’s Gordon Edes:

Red Sox legend Carl Yastrzemski will have to undergo heart bypass surgery because of a blockage in one of his main arteries, a source with knowledge of the situation indicated.