Remembering Mets History (1965) Yogi Berra Comes Out of Retirement as A Player
In April of 1965 Yogi Berra signed on with the New York Mets as a Player / Coach. Berra had retired as a player after the 1963 season & was quickly named manager of the A.L. New York team for 1964. Although they finished first, they lost the World Series to the St. Louis Cardinals & Berra was fired. No appreciation given, even after all his years of quality service. But as usual, Yogi got the last laugh. The next year without him they finished sixth & would finish in fifth place or lower for the next six years into the early seventies. The Mets had also signed another future Hall of Famer, veteran pitcher Warren Spahn. He too was at the end of his career. Yogi commented to the press on the two veterans getting together. Quotes- Yogi Berra: "We may not be the oldest battery mates in history, but we sure are the ugliest." The Mets manager once again had "his man" on his team. Of all the greats that Casey Stengle had managed, Yogi was his favorite