Longtime Dodger Steve Yeager was well-respected behind the plate, and Lou Brock called him "the best-throwing catcher in the game." He was an intelligent game-caller and a team leader on six Dodger division winners. He shared the three-way MVP award in the 1981 World Series, largely due to his home run off the Yankees' Ron Guidry that won Game Five.
In an extra-inning game on August 8, 1972, Yeager tied a NL record for catchers with 22 putouts and set another with 24 chances accepted. In 1974 the Dodgers won their first 24 games in which Yeager started behind the plate. He never batted more than .256 as a regular, but he reached double figures in home runs six times.
Yeager introduced the neck protector, the flap attached to the catcher's mask, first donning it after a freak 1976 accident; he was hit with the jagged end of a broken bat while in the on-deck circle, and had nine splinters removed from his neck. The nephew of legendary pilot Chuck Yeager, Steve became accustomed to notoriety. He gained attention by posing for a Playgirl centerfold. The best man at his wedding was Los Angeles mayor Tom Bradley. (TG)
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FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY
»June 7, 1967:
The last-place Yankees have the first pick in the free-agent draft and use it to take Ron Blomberg. With the next pick, the Cubs tap SS Terry Hughes, who will have just 86 ML at bats. All 20 first-round picks are high school players, and only 11 will eventually reach the major leagues, including John Mayberry (#6, Astros), Jon Matlack (Mets), Wayne Simpson (#8, Reds), Ted Simmons (#10, Cards), and Bobby Grich (#20, Orioles). The O's take Don Baylor with their 2nd pick, then in the secondary phase, select P Mike Adamson. Adamson will leap directly to the O's, debuting July 1, the first player in draft history to bypass the minors. Other selections today include Dusty Baker (26th round, Braves), Matlack (1st round, Mets), Steve Yeager (3rd round, Dodgers) and Richie Zisk (3rd round, Pirates), The Phils strike out as none of their picks will reach the majors.
»September 6, 1976:
Dodger C Steve Yeager is seriously injured when he is struck in the neck by the loose end of a bat. Yeager is in the on-deck circle when the end of teammate Bill Russell's bat comes off when he is hitting. The Dodgers beat the Padres, 4–1.
»October 4, 1978: Steve Garvey smashes two home runs and a triple to pace the Dodgers to a 9–5 win over the Phillies in the opener of the NLCS. Davey Lopes and Steve Yeager also homer at the Vet.
»October 28, 1981: Pedro Guerrero drives in five runs and the Bert Hooton and the Dodgers beat the Yankees 9–2 to win the World Series in six games. In a remarkable post season, the Dodgers came from behind to win three series (down 2–0 to Houston and 2–1 to Montreal in the best-of-5 series). Guerrero, Ron Cey, and Steve Yeager (2 home runs) are named co-MVPs, while OF Dave Winfield and relief pitcher George Frazier are the goats for New York. Winfield was just 1-for-21, while Frazier tied a World Series record by losing three games. The record was set by the White Sox Lefty Williams in 1919, but Williams, one of the eight "Black Sox," probably was losing on purpose.
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