Red Sox to honor Carl Yastrzemski with a statue at Fenway Park

BOSTON, MA – The Boston Red Sox will pay tribute to Carl Yastrzemski by creating and unveiling a statue of the legendary left fielder at Fenway Park.

The statue will capture a moment that took place on Sunday, October 2, 1983, when the lifelong Red Sox star tipped his helmet to fans at Fenway Park before the final at-bat of his 23-year career. The Hall of Famer retired that day having played the most games, 3,308, that any player had ever played to that point in the history of Major League Baseball.

This will be the third statue the Red Sox have created. It will stand outside the ballpark’s Gate B entrance, placed between the Ted Williams statue, whom Yaz succeeded in left field in 1961, and “The Teammates” statue depicting Dom DiMaggio, Johnny Pesky, Bobby Doerr, and Williams. Toby Mendez, the creator of “The Teammates” statue, is the sculptor.

“This is quite an honor,” said Yastrzemski. “To have a bronze statue at Fenway Park is something I never could have imagined, and I am very grateful to the Red Sox for this kind gesture.”

The dedication ceremony is scheduled for Sunday, September 22, at 11 a.m., prior to the 1:35 p.m. game against the Toronto Blue Jays.  Yastrzemski is scheduled to throw out the Ceremonial First Pitch before the game (at approximately 1:20 p.m.).

Yastrzemski hit 452 career home runs, scored 1,816 runs, drove in 1,844 runs, hit 646, had a .379 on-base percentage, won seven Rawlings Gold Gloves, was an 18-time All-Star, and had one unforgettable Triple Crown season leading the “Impossible Dream” Red Sox to the American League Championship in 1967.  Always known as “Yaz,” the 74-year-old also played a key role when the Red Sox won the 1975 pennant.