What was Yogi Berra's Net Worth?
Yogi Berra was an American professional baseball player and manager who had a net worth of $5 million. Yogi Berra played 19 seasons in the MLB and was an 18-time All-Star who won 10 World Series championships as a player, the most in MLB history. He played all but one of those years for the New York Yankees and is widely regarded as one of the greatest catchers in the history of baseball.
Early Life
Lawrence Peter Berra was born on May 12, 1925, in St. Louis, Missouri, in a primarily Italian neighborhood called The Hill. His parents, Pietro and Paolina, were Italian immigrants. Yogi grew up across the street from his friend and later competitor Joe Garagiola Sr. Yogi attended St. Mary's High School and began playing baseball in local American Legion Baseball leagues. This is where he received the nickname "Yogi" from his friend Jack Maguire after a newsreel he saw about India in which he said Berra resembled a yogi from India while sitting around with his arms and legs crossed waiting to bat or looking sad after a loss.
Baseball Career
In 1942, both Yogi and his childhood friend Joe Garagiola were offered minor league contracts by the St. Louis Cardinals. The only problem was that Joe's contract came with a $500 bonus while Yogi's came with a $250 bonus. Yogi felt slighted and turned the contract down. He was quickly picked up by the New York Yankees who offered to match the $500 bonus that Garagiola received from the Cardinals.
Yogi played for the Norfolk Tars for a few years in the Development League before heading overseas to fight in WWII. After returning from the war, he played for the Newark Bears until he was called up to the Major Leagues in 1946. He would go on to become one of the most successful players and managers in baseball history. He was an All-Star selection 18 times while with the New York Yankees (15 of those All-Star selections occurred in consecutive years). He also won 13 World Series Championships as a player and manager (10 as a player, 3 as a manager). He is one of only six players to be named an AL MVP three times, and his Yankees' No. 8 is retired. As a player, Berra's peak salary was the $61,000 he received in 1961. That's the same as around $520,000 today after adjusting for inflation.
Yogi Berra had a career batting average of .285 to go along with 358 home runs and 1,430 runs batted in. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1972. Berra is also an honoree of Monument Park in Yankee Stadium.
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Personal Life
Yogi Berra married Carmen Short in January 1949. The couple had three sons together and were longtime residents of Montclair, New Jersey. His son Dale played shortstop for the Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Yankees, and Houston Astros. His son Tim played pro football for the Baltimore Colts during the 1974 season, and Larry played for three minor league teams in the New York Mets organization. Carmen passed away in March 2014 shortly after celebrating their 65th anniversary. Afterward, Yogi listed their Montclair home for sale at $888,000, a reference to his uniform number.
Yogi Berra passed away in his sleep at the age of 90 of natural causes on September 22, 2015.
Montclair Home
At the time of his death, Yogi lived in 4,500 square foot home in Montclair, New Jersey. About a year before his death, Yogi sold this home for $988,888.
