The man who took over for the greatest left fielder in the game and became a legend in his own right is the 68th inductee into the Baseball Hall of Immortals.
Carl Yastrzemski – or simply Yaz – took over left field for the Boston Red Sox from Ted Williams. Most players would wilt under that pressure, but not Yaz. In his first season he drove in a respectable 80 runs. In his second year he received votes for MVP. By his third year he was leading the American League in batting, hits, doubles, and walks.
Yaz became the leader on a surging Boston team. In 1967 he won the Triple Crown, leading the league in hitting (.326), homeruns (44), and RBIs (121). For good measure he also led in runs (112) and hits (189).
Yaz played for the Red Sox for 22 years, and was an All-Star for 18 of them. When he retired in 1983, he had played in 3,308 games, more than anyone in major league history (Pete Rose would top that a few years later, but Yaz still holds the American League record).
At the plate he notched 3,419 hits (good for 9th all-time), 452 homeruns, 1,844 RBIs, and 1,816 runs. He is one of only 3 players to have at least 1,800 runs scored, 1,800 RBIs, and 1,800 walks. The other two? Babe Ruth and Barry Bonds.
Nobody can question that Carl Yastrzemski is an Immortal.
For some background on what this is, check out the introduction post here.
