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Article: When Carl Yastrzemski became a star; future Hall of Famer made his mark with an extraordinary season that gave Red Sox first A.L. pennant in 21 years. (1967).
- Article from:
- Baseball Digest
- Article date:
- July 1, 2002
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 Century Publishing Co. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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HE WON THREE BATTING CROWNS and an MVP trophy. He played 23 seasons with the same club. He was the first American Leaguer to produce 3,000 hits and 400 home runs.
But Carl Yastrzemski will always be remembered as the chief engineer of "The Impossible Dream," the rise of the Boston Red Sox from ninth in a 10-team league in 1966 to the winner of a four-team pennant scramble in 1967.
Pre-season oddsmakers slapped 100-to-1 odds against Boston's chances. But they hadn't counted on the 27-year-old Yastrzemski, who literally carried the club on his shoulders down the stretch.
Fueled primarily by the new-found power in Yastrzemski's bat, the Red Sox ...