Yogi Berra Dead at 90

Yogi Berra, the Hall of Fame catcher renowned as much for his dizzying malapropisms as his record 10 World Series championships with the New York Yankees, has died. He was 90. Berra died of natural causes yesterday at his home in New Jersey, according to Dave Kaplan, the director of the Yogi Berra Museum. Berra was a legendary Yankee who helped the team reach 14 World Series during his 18 seasons in the Bronx. He played in more World Series games than any other major leaguer and was a three-time American League MVP, but his name appears almost as often in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations as it does in baseball's record book, with "Yogi-isms" including "It ain't over 'til it's over."

Berra was born in St. Louis in 1925. In 1943, his first professional season with the Yankees' farm team was interrupted by World War II. He joined the Navy and later served on a gunboat supporting the D-Day invasion. Berra played for the Yankees from 1949 to 1965 and in 1956, he caught the only perfect game in World Series history. After his playing days, Berra coached or managed the Yankees, New York Mets, and Houston Astros. He led both the Yankees and Mets to pennants. "While we mourn the loss of our father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, we know he is at peace with Mom," Berra's family said in a statement. "We celebrate his remarkable life, and are thankful he meant so much to so many. He will truly be missed." (More Yogi Berra stories.)