Former Mets Remember Yogi Berra Upon His Passing (1925-2015)

On September 22nd 2015 Yogi Berra passed away at his home in New Jersey, he was 90 years old. 

Yogi certainly lived a good life, a better one than most will ever know. Through it all he stayed humble & maintained a dry sense of humor. These qualities made him loved. Berra had a rich history with the Mets & upon his passing many Mets old & new remembered him fondly. 

In 1973 Yogi Berra led the Mets to an NL Eastern Title with an Amazing September stretch run. In the NLCS they beat the Mighty Cincinnati Reds & then went to a seventh game of the World Series but fell one game short of the Worlds Championship, losing to the Oakland A's club who won three straight titles. The 1973 Mets are maybe the most beloved Mets team for centerfieldmaz.

The Mets had a moment of silence for Yogi Berra before their game at Citi Field. The club issued the following statement. "Yogi Berra was a baseball legend who played a key part in our history.

He was kind, compassionate and always found a way to make people laugh. With us he was a player, coach and managed the 1973 'Ya Gotta Believe' team to the National League pennant. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family."

Mets Hall of Famer Tom Seaver: "They threw away the mold in regards to Yogi.He was one of a kind. He loved the game.

As a manager, he never tried to complicate things. He let his players play. He respected what you did on the field. He was an utter delight to be around."

Ed Kranepool whose locker was next to Berra’s at Shea Stadium for nearly a decade said: "He wasn’t scientific, but he had a wealth of knowledge. It was like with Casey Stengel, the things he said may have sounded strange, but when you thought about them, they made a lot of sense. And he wasn’t a disciplinarian. If you did your job, he let you do your job. You can’t replace him it’s the end of an era.”

I think they were looking for publicity,” Kranepool said. “He got two hits one game, but he realized he couldn’t do it anymore. Yogi wasn’t one to embarrass anyone and he also wasn’t someone to be embarrassed, so that was it.”

Jerry Koosman: “When Gil Hodges died, It was a hard thing to deal with. It wasn’t like we could stop and mourn for a year. We had to play. Yogi took over and gave us a sense of quiet and confidence that we could keep going. He was the best person for the job.”

Rusty Staub on the 1973 Mets pennant run: “It was a tremendous comeback. Yogi was a great guy to play for, a great person, period. It was the most exciting six weeks of my career."

"The Pope might be the only man more loved than Yogi, he did so much good for so many people in the world." Every time I think of Yogi, I have a smile on my face. That's the effect he had on people."

Current Met Curtis Granderson upon first meeting Berra: "First thing that popped up to me is, 'Wow, this is Yogi Berra. All the championships that he has and all the accolades, he still came up to me and introduced himself to me. Made me know that he was approachable, that I could come and talk to him at any time.

Mets manager Terry Collins said: One of the great legacies of the game, one of the most tremendous people. In my time with Houston I got to know Yogi. He had great relationships with Matt Galante and Craig Biggio. He would come in the clubhouse a lot"

"As I've been reading about today, everything they say is true. Wonderful man. Tremendous player. The game is not as good as it once was today."