Yaz Turns 77! Is That Possible?

If you are of a certain age; such as born in the 50's or 60's, the words "Yaz turns 77" are  sure to make you feel old.

And if you grew up in New England, there is a pretty good chance you are a Red Sox fan.

And if you are, you will certainly remember Number 8, the great Carl Yastrzemski.

Yaz roamed left field and first base for 23 years for the Red Sox, from 1961-1983. He is a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame, elected in 1989. Yastrzemski was selected to 17 All Star Games, won 7 Gold Gloves, achieved 3,419 Hits and 452 Home Runs.  His famous #8 has been retired by the Boston Red Sox and sits on top of Fenway Park.

I have so many great memories of Yaz growing up as a kid in Augusta. He was the face of the organization for so long, and if you needed a big hit in the 9th, there was nobody you would rather have up to the plate.

The summer of 1967 was special in New England. The Red Sox were coming off a disastrous 1966 season, going 72-90 and finishing a dismal 26 games behind Baltimore. The Sox added a new manager in Dick Williams and he changed the atmosphere in Boston. He was brash and not afraid to get on his players if they made a mistake. Yaz had a pretty good year in 1966, batting .278 with 16 home runs and 80 runs batted in. But in 1967, something clicked and he had a season for the ages.

Yastrzemski ended up winning the Triple Crown that year, leading the league in batting average at .326, with 44 home runs and 121 RBI's. Nobody would win the Triple Crown again until 45 years later when Detroit Tiger star Miguel Cabrera would do it in 2012.

Yastrzemski was surrounded by some good players on that 67 team, including George Scott, Reggie Smith, Tony Conigliaro and Jim Lonborg. But Yaz was the leader and MVP of that team, leading his team to the World Series, where they lost in 7 games to Bob Gibson and the St Louis Cardinals.

The 67 Red Sox team was later referred to as the Impossible Dream team and an album was released later that year, which this young baseball fan wore out listening to.

Yaz and the 67 team changed the way baseball was viewed in Boston. No longer were they the lovable losers, but a really good team and a force in the American League.

Younger fans might be spoiled with World Series Championships in 2004, 2007, and 2013, but fans my age will always remember the excitement when number 8 would step up to the plate in a big situation. He paved the way for future stars to shine under the bright lights of Boston's hungry fans.

Happy 77th Birthday number 8. And thanks for the memories. You really did do it, Your Way.