Yogi Berra
From The Met Wiki
Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra was a catcher, coach and manager for the Mets. He played in four games in 1965 and remained with the team for another ten years. Berra served as the Mets' first base coach from '65 to 1971 and as manager from 1972 to 1975.
Following a standout career in which he won three Most Valuable Player Awards, Berra managed the Yankees to the 1964 American League pennant. Despite this accomplishment, he was fired by the Bronx team after the season. Yogi joined the Mets as a catcher-coach one year later and officially concluded his playing career. He had two singles and scored a run in the Mets' 2-1 win over the Phillies at Shea Stadium on May 4.
In his time as a team coach, Berra worked under four Mets' managers. He began with Casey Stengel, who was replaced by Wes Westrum during the '65 season. Yogi served in the first base coaching box for Westrum and Salty Parker in 1967. Over the next four seasons, he was a staff member under Gil Hodges.
In 1972, Berra was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. He was also named the Mets' manager following Hodges' tragic death from a heart attack. The Mets started the '72 season well with Yogi in charge, winning 25 of their first 32 games for a .781 percentage. Later decimated by injuries, the team ended the year with an 83-73 record and in third place in the National League East Division.
Despite being in last place on August 30, Berra and the Mets came back to win the East Division title in 1973. The team followed up with a three-games-to-two triumph over the Reds in the National League Championship Series. This victory made Yogi the second manager (after Joe McCarthy) to win pennants in both leagues. The Mets then fell to the Athletics in seven games in the World Series.
Yogi managed the National League to victory in the 1974 All-Star Game at Pittsburgh. However, the Mets finished fifth in the National League East that year. With the team at a 56-53 won-lost mark in 1975, Berra was fired on August 6. First base coach Roy McMillan took over as an interim manager. The Mets completed the '75 season in third place at an 82-80 mark.
Berra served on the Yankees' coaching staff from 1976 to 1983. In 1984, he managed the team in the Bronx. Yogi was fired by the Yankees after 16 games of the 1985 season. He then served as a coach for the Houston Astros from 1986 to 1989.
