Stephen Wayne "
Steve"
Yeager (born November 24, 1948 in
Huntington, West VirginiaHuntington is a city in Cabell and Wayne counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia, along the Ohio River. Most of the city is in Cabell County, for which it is the county seat. A small portion of the city, mainly the neighborhood of Westmoreland, is in Wayne County. Its population was 49,138 at...
,
U.S.The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
) is an American right-handed former
major leagueMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
baseballBaseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
catcherCatcher is a position for a baseball or softball player. When a batter takes his turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. This is a catcher's primary duty, but he is also called upon to master many other skills in order to...
. Yeager spent 14 of the 15 seasons of his
Major League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
career, from through , with the
Los Angeles DodgersThe Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
. His last year, , he played for the
Seattle MarinersThe Seattle Mariners are a professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington. Enfranchised in , the Mariners are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Safeco Field has been the Mariners' home ballpark since July...
. As of 2009, Yeager is a member of the
Los Angeles DodgersThe Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
organization serving as a representative of the Dodgers Legend Bureau.
Minor League career
Yeager once hit two
grand slamIn the sport of baseball, a grand slam is a home run hit with all three bases occupied by baserunners , thereby scoring four runs—the most possible in one play. According to The Dickson Baseball Dictionary, the term originated in the card game of contract bridge, in which a grand slam involves...
s in one high school game at
Meadowdale High School (Ohio)Meadowdale High School is part of Dayton City Schools. Located in Harrison Township, near Dayton, Ohio, USA, it serves approximately 1000 students. The school mascot is the lion. The theme for Meadowdale is Cultural Studies...
in
Dayton, OhioDayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
. Yeager was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers on June 6, 1967, in the 4th round of the
1967 Major League Baseball Draft-First round selections:The following are the first round picks in the 1967 Major League Baseball draft.- Background :The June draft was filled with talented prospects who would go on to pro careers...
. After one game with the rookie level
Ogden SpikersThe Lethbridge Expos arrived in Lethbridge, Alberta 65 years after the city had last hosted a professional baseball team. In their debut 1975 season the team went 35–37, third in the four-team Pioneer League, under manager Van Kelly...
of the Pioneer League, Yeager was sent to the Dodgers Single-A affiliate, the
Dubuque PackersThe Dubuque Packers were a minor league baseball team that played in the Mississippi-Ohio Valley League from 1954-55 and the Midwest League from 1956-67 and 1974-76.Their minor league affiliations included:*1954-58: Chicago White Sox...
of the
Midwest LeagueThe Midwest League is a Class-A minor league baseball league which operates in the Midwestern United States.-History:Six teams – the Belleville Stags, the Centralia Cubs, the Marion Indians, the Mattoon Indians or East Frankfort White Sox, the Mount Vernon Braves, and the West Frankfort...
. The following season, in , Yeager played 59 games for the Single-A
Daytona Beach DodgersThe Daytona Cubs are a minor league baseball team based in Daytona Beach, Florida. The team plays in the Florida State League , and is the Class A-Advanced affiliate of the Chicago Cubs major league club. The Cubs play at Jackie Robinson Ballpark; opened in 1914, the park seats 5,100 fans.The...
of the
Florida State LeagueThe Florida State League is a Class A-Advanced minor league baseball league operating in the state of Florida. They are one of three leagues currently operating in Class A-Advanced, the third highest of six classifications of minor leagues...
. In , he played 22 games for the
Bakersfield BlazeThe Bakersfield Blaze are a minor league baseball team in Bakersfield, California, USA. They are a Class A – Advanced team in the California League and are a farm team of the Cincinnati Reds. The Bakersfield Blaze play their home games at Historic Sam Lynn Ballpark...
, the Dodgers' Single-A affiliate in the
California LeagueThe California League is a Class A Advanced minor league baseball league which operates throughout the state of California. Before 2002, it was classified as a "High-A" league, indicating its status as a Class A league with the highest level of competition within that classification, and the fifth...
, where he threw out 26 runners from behind the plate.
Yeager was promoted to Double-A before the end of the 1969 season, playing in 1 game for the
AlbuquerqueAlbuquerque is the largest city in the state of New Mexico, United States. It is the county seat of Bernalillo County and is situated in the central part of the state, straddling the Rio Grande. The city population was 545,852 as of the 2010 Census and ranks as the 32nd-largest city in the U.S. As...
DodgersThe Albuquerque Dukes were a minor league baseball team based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA.-History:The first Dukes team was formed in 1915 as part of the Class-D Rio Grande Association. The team finished in third place with a 32-25 record. Frank Huelman was the league leader in home runs,...
of the
Texas LeagueThe Texas League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the South Central United States. It is classified a Double-A league. The league was founded in 1888 and ran through 1892...
. He spent the next two-and-2/3 seasons with the Double-A franchise. In 162 games played over the and seasons, he hit .276, with 77
RBIRuns batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...
s in 490 at bats. He threw out 84 runners (second in the Texas League) and was named to the Texas League
All-StarAll-star is a term designating an individual as having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry...
team as a catcher in 1971.
With the Dukes becoming the new
Pacific Coast LeagueThe Pacific Coast League is a minor-league baseball league operating in the Western, Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Along with the International League and the Mexican League, it is one of three leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball.The...
Triple-ATriple-A refers to the highest level of play in minor league baseball in the United States and Mexico.-Purpose:Triple-A teams' main purpose is to prepare players for the Major Leagues:...
affiliate for the Dodgers in , Yeager was promoted while remaining in Albuquerque for another season. With the Triple-A Dukes, he played 82 games, batting .280 with 45 RBIs in 257 at bats.
Major League career
Yeager made his Major League debut with the Dodgers on August 2, 1972. He started 34 games that season, backed up
Joe FergusonJoseph Vance Ferguson is a former catcher/right fielder in Major League Baseball who played for four different teams from 1970 through 1983...
in 1973, and split time with Ferguson for the pennant-winning 1974 club. Thereafter, Yeager was the starting catcher for the Dodgers and became an integral part of the Dodgers' success in the 1970s and early 1980s. Yeager helped the Dodgers to the
World SeriesThe World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
in
1974-Game 1:Saturday, October 12, 1974 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, CaliforniaReggie Jackson put the A's on the board first with a solo homer in the top of the second off 20-game winner Andy Messersmith...
,
1977-Game 1:Tuesday, October 11, 1977 at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New YorkThe Dodgers drew first blood off Don Gullett in the first when Davey Lopes walked and scored on a Bill Russell triple. Ron Cey made it 2–0 on a sacrifice fly...
,
1978-Game 1:Tuesday, October 10, 1978 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, CaliforniaWith Yankee ace Ron Guidry unavailable at least until Game 3, the Dodgers pounded twenty-game winner Ed Figueroa. Figueroa left after two innings, allowing home runs to Dusty Baker and Davey Lopes. Lopes would add a...
, and
1981The 1981 World Series matched the New York Yankees against the Los Angeles Dodgers, marking their third meeting in the Series in five years as well as a record eleventh Series meeting overall and last Series meeting to date...
. In the '81 Series against the
New York YankeesThe New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
, he shared the
World Series Most Valuable PlayerThe World Series Most Valuable Player Award is given to the player deemed to have the most impact on his team's performance in the World Series, which is the final round of the Major League Baseball postseason...
award with teammates Pedro Guerrero and
Ron CeyRonald Charles Cey |Washington]]) is a former third baseman in Major League Baseball who played for the Los Angeles Dodgers , Chicago Cubs and Oakland Athletics . Cey batted and threw right-handed...
. Yeager, who was backing up
Mike SciosciaMichael Lorri Scioscia is a former Major League Baseball catcher and current manager for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. He has worked in that capacity since the 2000 season, and is the longest-tenured manager in Major League Baseball....
by that time, did not have overwhelming stats for the Series, as he went 4-for-14 (.286), but three of his hits were a double and two home runs. One of the homers, off
Ron GuidryRonald Ames Guidry , nicknamed "Louisiana Lightning" and "Gator", is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. He played his entire 14-year baseball career for the New York Yankees...
, turned out to be the game-winner in Game 5.
In , Yeager injured his knee and broke his wrist a year later, severely limiting his playing time. He was traded to the
Seattle MarinersThe Seattle Mariners are a professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington. Enfranchised in , the Mariners are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Safeco Field has been the Mariners' home ballpark since July...
for
Ed Vande BergEdward John Vande Berg is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. He is an alumnus of Redlands High School and Arizona State University...
following the season and retired after hitting only .208 in .
While with the Dodgers, Yeager caught
Jerry ReussJerry Reuss -- pronounced "royce" -- is a former left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball, best known for his years with the Los Angeles Dodgers in the United States, who had a 22-year career from to ....
'
no-hitterA no-hitter is a baseball game in which one team has no hits. In Major League Baseball, the team must be without hits during the entire game, and the game must be at least nine innings. A pitcher who prevents the opposing team from achieving a hit is said to have "thrown a no-hitter"...
on June 27, .
Characteristics
Lou BrockLouis Clark "Lou" Brock is an American former professional baseball player. He began his Major League Baseball career with the Chicago Cubs but, spent the majority of his career as the left fielder for the St. Louis Cardinals. Brock was best known for breaking Ty Cobb's all-time major league...
called Yeager "the best-throwing catcher in the game." His specialty was defense and his command of the game on the field. In one nationally-televised game, he made a putout to second base – and the radar gun in place to record pitches caught his throw to second (from a crouch) at 98 mph. He was very good at managing the game from his position and was even more highly regarded for his abilities with young pitchers. In , he led National League catchers in putouts with 806. This compensated for his overall subpar offense, as illustrated by arguably his best offensive year occurring in 1974 when he batted .266 in fewer than 100 games. Despite this reputation, Yeager was still somewhat of a clutch hitter as he had an average of .321 when hitting with the bases loaded during his career, as well as hitting 4 homeruns in 21 World Series games. He also had success hitting off pitcher
Ken ForschKenneth Roth Forsch is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. Forsch graduated from Hiram Johnson High School and played in college ball at Oregon State University through the 1967-1968 seasons. While at Oregon State University, he was an active member in Beta Theta Pi fraternity...
. While never hitting more than two
home runIn baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s off any other pitcher, he managed to hit 5 against Forsch in his career.
With the Dodgers, whenever knuckleballer
Charlie HoughCharles Oliver Hough is a former Major League Baseball knuckleball pitcher. He is currently a senior adviser of player development for the Los Angeles Dodgers.-Playing career:...
pitched, Yeager would use a special enlarged catcher's mitt and would hold it in a cupped style, palm facing upward, instead of the normal upright "target" position.
Throat protector
In , Yeager was injured when teammate
Bill RussellWilliam Ellis Russell is a former shortstop, coach and manager in Major League Baseball. Russell played his entire 18-year, 2,181-game career with the Los Angeles Dodgers as the starting shortstop for four National League pennant winners and one World Series champion...
's bat shattered and a large, jagged piece hit him in the neck while Yeager was in the on-deck circle, piercing his
esophagusThe esophagus is an organ in vertebrates which consists of a muscular tube through which food passes from the pharynx to the stomach. During swallowing, food passes from the mouth through the pharynx into the esophagus and travels via peristalsis to the stomach...
. He had nine pieces of wood taken out of his neck in 98 minutes of surgery. After the incident, Dodger trainer Bill Buhler invented and patented a throat protector that hangs from the catcher's mask. It was soon worn by most catchers around the Majors and other leagues.
Stats
- Height: 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
- Weight: 190 lb (86 kg)
- Batted and Threw: Right
- Uniform number: 7
- World Series: .298 in 21 games, 17 for 57, 10 RBIs
- MLB Career
-
- Putouts: 6,110
- Assists: 674
- Errors: 88 (catching)
- Double Plays: 75 (catching)
- Fielding Percentage: .987
- Batting average: .228
- Hits: 816
- RBIs: 410
- Home runs: 102
Minor league coaching career
In , Yeager was the hitting coach for the Dodgers’ Single-A San Bernardino Stampede, which won the
California LeagueThe California League is a Class A Advanced minor league baseball league which operates throughout the state of California. Before 2002, it was classified as a "High-A" league, indicating its status as a Class A league with the highest level of competition within that classification, and the fifth...
championship. In , he managed the
Long Beach BreakersThis article is about the former Western Baseball League team, for the American Basketball Association team, go to Long Beach Breakers .The Long Beach Breakers were a minor league baseball team that played at Blair Field in Long Beach, California...
in the independent (now-defunct)
Western Baseball LeagueThe Western Baseball League was an independent baseball league based in the Western United States and Western Canada. It's member teams were not associated with any Major League Baseball teams. It operated from 1995 to 2002....
, where the team won the league championship in their inaugural season that year beating the
Chico HeatThe Chico Heat were a professional independent baseball team operating in Chico, California in the Western Baseball League. They had no operating agreement with any Major League Baseball team. They were created by Chico Heat Professional Baseball LLC, with former supermarket entrepreneur Steve...
3 games to 2. He was hitting coach for the
Jacksonville SunsThe Jacksonville Suns are a minor league baseball team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The team is currently a member of the Southern League and is the class Double-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins Major League Baseball team...
in when the team went on to win the championship, and in -06 he was the hitting instructor/coach for the Dodgers AAA farm club, the
Las Vegas 51sThe Las Vegas 51s, formerly known as the Las Vegas Stars, are a minor league baseball team. They are the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. They play at Cashman Field in Las Vegas, Nevada. The team competes in the Pacific Coast League...
. He later became the A Dodgers affiliate Inland Empire 66'ers and became the hitting coach in 2007.
Yeager was instrumental in the conversion of
Russell Martin Russell Nathan Jeanson Coltrane Martin, Jr is a Canadian Major League Baseball catcher for the New York Yankees.Martin became the everyday catcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers immediately upon his Major League debut, and continued in that role for nearly 5 years...
from third base to behind the plate.
In , he became the manager for the
Long Beach ArmadaThe Long Beach Armada was an independent professional baseball team based in Long Beach, California, in the United States. The Armada was a member of the North Division of the now-defunct Golden Baseball League, which was not affiliated with either Major League Baseball or Minor League Baseball...
of the independent
Golden Baseball LeagueThe Golden Baseball League, based in San Ramon, California, was an independent baseball league. It later merged with the Northern League and the United Baseball League to form the North American League in the western United States, western Canada and Mexico....
.
Outside baseball
- Yeager is part owners in a Jersey Mike's Subs
Jersey Mike's Subs is a submarine sandwich, or "sub", chain headquartered in Manasquan, New Jersey. The Jersey Mike's franchise has more than 400 stores across the United States.-History:...
franchise.
- Yeager is a nephew of pilot Chuck Yeager
Charles Elwood "Chuck" Yeager is a retired major general in the United States Air Force and noted test pilot. He was the first pilot to travel faster than sound...
.
- Known for his flashy lifestyle as a player, when he got married on the steps of LA's City Hall, then Los Angeles mayor Tom Bradley
Thomas J. "Tom" Bradley was the 38th Mayor of Los Angeles, California, serving in that office from 1973 to 1993. He was the first and to date only African American mayor of Los Angeles...
was best man at his wedding.
- Yeager served as technical advisor and also had a small role, as Coach Duke Temple, in Major League, Major League II
Major League II is a 1994 sequel to the 1989 film Major League. Major League II stars most of the same cast from the original, including Charlie Sheen, Tom Berenger, and Corbin Bernsen. Absent from this film is Wesley Snipes, who played Willie Mays Hayes in the first film and who by 1994 had become...
, and Major League: Back to the MinorsMajor League: Back to the Minors is a 1998 film, distributed by Warner Bros., directed and written by John Warren, with David S. Ward taking the co-writer duties. It is the third film in the Major League series.-Cast:...
.
- In September 1979, he and his family appeared on Family Feud
Family Feud is an American television game show created by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman. Two families compete against each other in a contest to name the most popular responses to a survey question posed to 100 people...
with Richard Dawson. They played for a total of 6 days.
- After his playing career, Yeager converted to Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
.
External links