Carl Yastrzemski
Year Inducted: 1989
Nobody has played more games in a Red Sox uniform than Carl Yastrzemski’s 3308. He played an astounding 23 seasons, all of which were in Boston.
Yastrzemski hit .285/.379/.462 with 452 home runs and 1844 RBI. He’s the Red Sox all-time leader in hits, singles, and doubles. He ranks second in walks and third in home runs. His 94.8 fWAR ranks second among position players in franchise history.
The 18-time All-Star won three batting titles and led the league in OPS four times. He was also an excellent defensive outfielder, collecting seven Gold Glove awards playing in front of Fenway’s Green Monster out in left field.
The pinnacle of his career was when he earned MVP honors in 1967. Yaz led the league with a .326 batting average, 44 home runs, and 121 RBI. It would be 45 years before another American League hitter captured the Triple Crown.
That ’67 season was the “Impossible Dream” team when the Red Sox clinched the AL pennant in their last game. Yaz hit .400 with three home runs in the World Series but his team ultimately came up short to the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games.
Yastrzemski made another World Series appearance in 1975 with the Red Sox again losing in seven games, this time to the Cincinnati Reds. Yaz did his part to get his team within a game of championship glory and always thrived under the bright lights of the playoffs. Overall, Yaz hit .369/.447/.600 in 17 career postseason games.
No. 8 was retired by the Red Sox at Fenway Park in honor of Yaz.