If Your Birthday is August 22nd...

...you share it with Carl Yastrzemski, the Red Sox beloved "Yaz."  His 23 Boston seasons were highlighted by 1967, when he won the AL Triple Crown while leading the "Impossible Dream" Red Sox to the franchise's first pennant since 1946.  His Hall of Fame stat line: 452 homers, 1844 RBI and a lifetime .285 average. Yaz succeeded Ted Williams patrolling left field at Fenway Park -- combined, their tenure spanned 42 years.

While you know many of the accomplishments of his career, there was one that surprised even me: in 1989, he became the first former Little League ballplayer to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Yaz is among the Red Sox legends honored with giant numbers and plaques outside their spring training home, Jet Blue Park in Fort Myers, Florida.


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