Better known as "Yaz," Carl Michael Yastrzemski of the Boston Red Sox epitomized the spirit of hard work and determination that made baseball players American heroes in the twentieth century. As left-fielder, Yaz mastered the art of playing hits off Fenway Park's infamous "Green Monster," earning seven Gold Gloves during the course of his career. He also was a consistently dangerous batter with a flair for getting crucial hits in big games. Yaz achieved the coveted Triple Crown for highest batting average (.326), most runs batted in (121), and most home runs (44) in 1967 on the way to Boston's first pennant in three decades. By the time he retired, he had amassed more than three thousand hits and four hundred homers, a mark met by no other player in the American League. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1989.

Further Reading:

Yastrzemski, Carl, and Al Hirshberg. YAZ: The Autobiography of Carl Yastrzemski. New York, Viking Press, 1968.