Ultimate Mets Database - Memories of Eddie Yost

Jim Snedeker
April 9, 2002
I remember being at my first Met game in 1970, and hearing Eddie clapping his hands. That was a thrill--to actually hear a Met doing something live and not on the TV!

Synonymous with the Mets of that period: Eddie coaching at third, Yogi coaching at first. Outside of this, I really have no idea of where he came from or where he went.

Larry Burns
May 31, 2002
When I was young we loved Eddie waving a guy around 3rd. Whenever we played Little League and it was your turn to coach 3rd, it was your time to "Be Eddie Yost." I don't remember much else about him, but that all my friends and myself---he is the all-time great 3rd base coach.

frederick g. yost
December 31, 2002
Because my name is Yost I was a big fan of Eddie Yost. I had to play third, of course, the position Eddie played for the Senators and the Angels. His middle name is my first name. Another big league ball player named Yost was recently named manager of the Brewers, Ned Yost. His middle name is also Frederick. No wonder I didn't make to the Bigs, there were already too many players named Fred Yost!

Felita Yost Carr
February 2, 2003
I know this man personally as he is my Dad. I must say that he has been a wonderful role model and father to all of his children. He is a humble man whom always conducted himself professionally and did a great job with everything that he took on in life. I have great memories of his coaching days with the Mets. Let's Go Mets!

mets
May 29, 2003
Eddie Yost was a fine lead off hitter. He played on some hallacious teams in Washington. He was known as the "Walking Man." He was traded to the Tigers and than finished his career with the Angels. He was an excellent third base coach with the Mets and later with the Red Sox. He knew the strengths and weaknesses of all the outfielders in the National League. Rarely was a Met runner thrown out at the plate. He was graduate of NYU and lived in Ozone Park.

Chip DeSon
March 7, 2004
In the first days of the Angels, my two favorite teams were the L.A. Angels, and whoever was playing the Dodgers. Every so often, my Dad would take us to L.A.'s Wrigley Field to watch the Angels play. In those days, the stadiums were such that the clubhouse and the dugout were connected by a caged catwalk -- this let the players be in plain view of the fans in the concession area. This was a favorite for kids, as you had brief, but close access to your heroes in hopes of an autograph.

One night, Eddie Yost was late getting to the dugout -- you could hear him cussing a little as he came into view from the clubhouse. As he passed, my Dad asked him if he had time to sign some autographs for the kids. Unfortunately for Eddie, my dad had brought me, my two brothers and four cousins to the game! Even at my young age, it was clear he did not have any time, and certainly not enough time to autograph that many 3x5 cards -- and yet he politely signed every last one of them. Forty years later, I still tell this story about one class act ballplayer who hadn't forgotten what baseball meant to kids. And yes, I still have that autograph. And no, it is not for sale.

Mark
May 28, 2004
Take a look at this man's stats sometime. He was a productive player on some really bad Washington Senator teams. They called him the "Walking Man" because he always managed to draw a lot of walks - which may not be very exciting, but walks do help build runs. It may sound real strange, but whenever I hear James Taylor's song "Walking Man" I think of Eddie Yost. See that Eddie - your name lives on!

e.yost
July 1, 2004
I know that he was known as the walking man cause he could get a walk of any pitcher. p.s. he is my great grandfather...no lies!

Jonathan Stern
September 24, 2004
Now here's an interesting fact: asked who was his favorite Red Sox of all time, John Kerry replied, "Eddie Yost."

And here's an even more interesting fact: Eddie Yost never played for the Boston Red Sox.

Oops!!

Anyway, it's nice to see The Walking Man get mentioned again, during a Presdential race no less!

Asked about his favorite current Red Sox, Senator Kerry replied, "Manny Ortez."

At least he didn't say Bill Buckner.

Gary Breithling
October 23, 2004
Eddie did coach third base for the Sox. Some time in the late 70's I believe it was.

Felita Yost Carr
November 16, 2004
My Dad coached the Mets from 1968-1977. He was a coach for the Boston Red Sox during the 1978-1985 seasons. He witnessed that Bucky Dent home run in the 1 game playoff between the Rex Sox and Yankees in 1978. His career as a third baseman was from 1944-1962 for the Washington Senators, Detroit Tigers and Los Angeles Angels. 16 of those years were with the Senators. He coached the Senators during the 1963-1968 seasons under Gil Hodges. His major league career spanned 41 years as a player and coach. What a tenure in such a difficult and ever changing environment!!

Bob Wallace April 14,2005
April 15, 2005
Being such a Eddie Yost fan when he played for the Washington Senators, I became a big Mets fan when Eddie coached third base for them in the late 60's and early 1970's. That's what an impact he had on me as a baseball fan. A class act all the way.

Frank R. and Zeli Castella
August 27, 2005
We remember Eddie Yost very well because we were neighbors of the Yosts in early sixties (1962-64). We remember his wife Pat and his children, they were babies then. The Yosts were the kindest and hospitable neighbors. We still have a baseball signed by all the Washington Senators players when Gil Hodges was manager. We also were able to attend some of the games, courtesy of Eddie Yost.

Bernie Goldstein
May 19, 2006
I grew up in Washington DC in the 40s and 50s and have fond memories of Eddie Yost. The first major league game I ever saw was in Griffith Stadium in 1948 or 1949, with the Senators home to the Philadelphia Athletics. We were in box seats in the upper deck between third and home. Eddie Yost led off with a triple in the Senators' half of the first inning. I remember Eddie sliding into third base practically in front of me. What a great introduction to major league baseball!

Anthony Barcia
July 12, 2006
Some additional comments. I believe he grew up in South Ozone Park and played for John Adams HS in Ozone Park NY.

jimmy b--John Bowne HS Flushing 72 grad
September 8, 2006
Never saw Eddie Yost play, but I went to John Bowne HS [1972 graduate] which is less than 2 miles from Shea. Lindsey and Bob and Ralph always called him 'The Walking Man.' When you think about it, it's quite an unheralded tribute indeed for Mr Yost. It takes a disciplined eye to decide what to do up at the plate. The BB stats can never reveal how many times he had a 3-and-2 count on him and got the walk, which undoubtedly led to a run scored on his behalf. A true unsung BB hero! I am proud to say that I have a 1950s BB card autographed by him when I wrote him around 1983 or so.

Tim
December 17, 2006
I met Eddie around 1997. The first day I met him, he said Hhey, kid." (Of course I was in my late twenties.) "Have you ever seen a World Series ring?" My answer was "no". Then Eddie took off his ring and handed it to me (just to hold) and he asked if I was alive in 1969 and I told him I was born that December. I felt lucky to hold a 69 World Series ring. Eddie thank you.

Paul Daniggelis
February 14, 2007
I am NOT a Mets fan. When the Senators went to Minnesota, I went with them, figuratively speaking. I am an Eddie Yost fan and have been since my pre-teens. Although born and raised in New York, I spent 2 or 3 summers in D.C. staying with a cousin. He introduced me to the Senators and Yost. In those days, I kept records of Yost in the summer and Harry Gallatin of the N.Y. Knicks in the winter. I have no idea what happened to those record books. I am now a free-lance writer and working on a baseball novel. I expect to have Eddie in a walk-on cameo appearance. Pun intended. Ciao!

Joan Winkelman
March 16, 2007
I am an "old" Washington Senators fan (grew up in Arlington, VA) and as a teen ager Eddie Yost was my favorite player on the Senators. I had pictures of him on the bulletin board in my bedroom. Whenever I was taken to a game by my father, we would try to get seats on the 3rd base side. (Sorry, I'm not a Mets fan, but was an Eddie Yost fan for years.)

Yankee fan
May 24, 2007
My family moved from New York to Washington, D.C. in 1953 with the change in political administration. It was very hard to shift allegiance from the Yankees, then in the midst of five straight World Series victories, to the Senators, who spent most of their time in the cellar.

But Eddie Yost certainly made it tolerable. Clean-fielding and patient at the plate, he always gave us hope before Camilio Pasqual blew the lead or Pete Runnels struck out. Occasionally Mickey Vernon would blast a home run and all was forgiven. More often than not, Yost would be scoring ahead of him.

I lost interest in this team when we moved back to New York, but it's hard to forget such a clean-cut, decent, and fundamentally sound player.

P.S. to Mets fans: Now I live in Philadelphia, home of another perennial loser, the Phillies. My hopes, 50 years later, rest with another clean-cut kid, Chase Utley, to help achieve our impossible dream: beating out the Mets for a division title!

Kathleen Myers
August 28, 2007
My Mom played street ball with Eddie Yost in Ozone Park growing up. In the 1970's Mom wrote to the Mets in regards to Ed Yost to see if he remembered her. He wrote back on Mets corp stationary saying he did remember her and playing ball in the street. It was a nice letter. My mom is gone now but I still have the letter and think what a nice guy he sounds like. After reading all the nice remarks, I was right.

george borsuk
June 3, 2008
Eddie Yost was my manager in fantasy camp. What a great guy he was. He made the week the most exciting one I ever had.. I sent him a video of our week and have the letter he sent to thank me for it-- Hats off to such a great guy.

John
July 13, 2008
I see Mr. Yost just about every day in Wellesley, MA and yes, he is still "The Walking Man" and one fine gentleman to boot.

Bud Confoy
July 14, 2008
I grew up with Eddie and his family as our neighbors in Hauppauge, Long Island. Our families became and still are lifetime friends. As a youngster and die hard Met fan I had the ultimate joy of going to Mets games and then meeting Eddie and the players in the clubhouse and locker room. Because of Eddie I have a lifelong love affair with the game and the Mets. I continue to speak with Mr Yost about baseball and he still patiently listens to me although I am sure he would just as much want to tune me out. He is a true baseball legend and just a great man. A hero of mine and I am sure many others!

mets fan
July 22, 2008
I don't know Eddie personally but he is my grandpa's (William Galbraith) cousin! I was so excited when I found out because he is loved by so many people, I wish I could have met him! Everyone says he is such a good man. My brother and sister have autographs from Eddie but I don't because I was too young when they had gotten them.

Alan430
September 16, 2008
Wow! This is the first day I've ever seen a Met coach be the most clicked on Met on the Ultimate Met Database. I think they used to call Eddie Yost the "Walking Man" because as a player he drew so many walks.

Bob Wallace
October 31, 2008
From the time I was 5 years old Eddie Yost has been my hero. It didn't matter if I was playing baseball, football or basketball, I was Eddie Yost! I still have all my Eddie Yost baseball cards and now since I've discovered eBay, I have 14 different Eddie Yost model baseball gloves. Kids today need heroes like Eddie Yost. Thanks Eddie.

Felita Yost Carr
November 4, 2008
A special thanks to everyone that has written such wonderful things about my Dad. I tell my Dad about all of the great comments you all have shared on this site. I know he is a special man with many diverse talents, but I am truly happy he has touched other's lives as well!!

Thanks Again......

rowan ramoutar ramsaran
January 13, 2009
I remember moving next door to the Yosts. At the time I was in 7th grade, and the Yosts were on their way to Boston. Mr. Yost was very nice as well as their children. They made us fell welcomed into the neighborhood.

Todd
May 7, 2009
I was fortunate enough to meet Ed Yost at a Mets card show in New Haven. He was so gracious and signed a card for me. It was such a great opportunity to meet not only a great ballplayer and coach, but such a nice person. Us Mets fans were lucky to have him on our team!!!

Terri Yost
August 4, 2009
Eddie Yost is my father-in-law. I have known him for 15 years and can say that, with all sincerity, he is one of the most honorable, hardworking and dedicated men that I know. My boys, Eddie and Joseph, adore him and take great pride in knowing who he is -- not only as an extraordinary athlete, but as a loving and caring Grandfather. He is exactly what a role model should exemplify and we are blessed to have him in our lives.

Richard Brewer
November 18, 2009
At age 14, I became a Senators fan (1954). Eddie Yost was one of the better players on relatively weak teams. What still amazes me is that he was able to draw so many walks (over 1600) when he was a career .254 hitter. He did have doubles and triples power, but Griffith Stadium was very hard to homer in. He did hit 21 his first year in hitter-friendlier Briggs Stadium in Detroit. Nice to see so many saying nice things about someone I remember well from my early days as a baseball fan.

Boyd Wilson
November 30, 2009
I remember listening to a game between the Yankees and Senators on the radio. I've never liked the Yankees and they were killing the Senators about 12 to 0 but Ed was 4 for 4, the only hits the Senators had finally they got a couple of men on with Ed coming up. I'm thinking the Senators are going to score now but they finally got Ed out, but he was still 4 for 5 that day.

Joe Taber
December 23, 2009
I was a young wanna-be New York Mets baseball player in the mid 1970's. Rusty Staub was my idol, he had red hair too! At that time my family lived out on Eastern Long Island two blocks away from Mr. Yost and his family. I vividly remember making a stop to the Yosts' home (courtesy of my dad driving me over to the house) to drop off a baseball to ask Mr. Yost to "please get my ball signed by Rusty Staub."

By the week's end, I was the proud owner of a much nicer baseball signed by Tom Seaver, Ed Kranepool, John Matlack, Dave Kingman and of course RUSTY STAUB!! When I received this ball from Mr. Yost he rubbed my head and told me to keep practicing if I wanted to make the Mets ball team. After this I would not take a bath (mainly wash my hair). Of course this really made my mom and dad mad. Took a few days before I finally "took the bath." I directly attribute my hair loss today to not taking that bath for a couple days, not bad genes.

Thanks for the great memories from a now middle aged follically challenged aviator displaced to the Mid-West. Thanks for the memories!

Paul Daniggelis
April 23, 2010
Quiz: In what way is Eddie Yost like the late Jack Benny? Answer: They had to be two of the nicest guys in the world.

Alice P.S. 121 student
May 12, 2010
Eddie Yost, along with one of our teachers, Mrs. Bernard, taught social dancing at public school P.S. 121 in Ozone Park, NY, when I was in the 7th or 8th grade, probably in 1950. It might have been just one time. (I don't recall.) I remember being fascinated by him and seeing him drive in the neighborhood, I believe in a convertible.

Dan Parker
April 5, 2011
My Dad (John "Buck" Parker) used to play baseball with Ed Yost when they were kids in Ozone Park. My Dad took us to see Ed Yost when he was playing for the Senators, I think. I'll never forget Ed looking over his shoulder and calling to Frank Howard, "Hey, Frank! Bring me a couple of balls for these kids." So we shook Frank's and Ed's hands. Ed autographed the two balls, one for my brother Tom, and one for me. When we were kids, we were very poor. We couldn't afford baseballs, so we used the ones that Ed gave us, until they were worn to shreds. If only we had saved those balls! I can see me now on Antiques Road Show: "You have an original baseball autographed by Ed Yost. These days, at an auction, we would expect the price to be..."

Ken Dwyer
July 2, 2011
I recently came from a very rare opportunity for all my siblings to get together. The name Eddie Yost came up, which speaks volumes about Eddie since it is over 60 years since we knew him from the old neighborhood. Eddie, my two brothers, and I all played CYO basketball for OLPH, our local parish. Eddie played with the "Big Five" team against some very stiff competition. Although only 5'10" he was one of the very few who could dunk the ball at that time.

PS 121 schoolyard was a popular spot for softball and 3-on-3 basketball. Eddie would hit the ball over a very high fence and then apologize - "I swung easy". I was only about 13 at the time and the youngest one there but Eddie frequently picked me to be on his team for basketball. He would then set blocks for me and say "Go ahead and shoot kid."

He probably wouldn't want to hear this but Ed Yost was a local hero!

Bob Wallace
December 7, 2012
I never really got to meet Eddie Yost. Probably my biggest regret in life. I did not find out that Eddie had passed away until two days after he did. I'm 67 years old and I'm not ashamed to say I cried when I heard the news. He has been my hero since I was 5 years old. He will be missed. Goodbye Eddie.

Fritz Fritsch
May 26, 2014
There's a kinescope of the old TV game show "Beat The Clock" out there. If you remember the show, the host, Bud Collyer, used to invite the contestants to bring their kids up on the stage and Collyer would talk to them. One night they had a couple from Brooklyn and their son came up and Collyer asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up. The kid said "A baseball player". Then Collyer asked him who his favorite player was and the kid said "Eddie Yost". Collyer was surprised. "I thought you'd say a player from the Yankees or Dodgers," he said. The kid shook his head. "Nope. Eddie Yost," he said.

My father, who grew up in New York and was a Giants fan from when the Giants played in New York, despite this allegiance, also talked about Eddie Yost as one of his favorite players. I was too young to remember him as a player, only seeing him as a third base coach, but in his low key way he obviously made a great impression on a lot of baseball fans in his time. BTW, I believe the nickname "The Walking Man" originated on another game show, a contest on the old radio show "Truth or Consequences." The "Walking Man" on Truth or Consequences was Jack Benny.

Bob WAllace
August 9, 2015
It's been a few years since Eddie passed away,so I hope telling this story is o.k. Way back in the 1950's I wrote Eddie Yost a letter asking him to send me an autographed picture. I didn't have a address for him other than South Ozone Park, New York. I never expected to hear from him, but sure enough a few weeks later a Don Wingfield photo came in the mail to me. This was Eddie Yost. He never let me down. Believe me as a 10-year-old kid in I was a big deal in my neighborhood. Bob Wallace

Walt Atkinson
August 11, 2015
Ed, you and my father were close friends and high school teammates at John Adams. I remember your house across from church. When we attended Met games at Shea, we would usually meet you before the games during BP. I just got this feeling, you and him are on the field now in heaven! Thank you for being a great person!

William Frederick Geyer
November 2, 2015
At about 11 years of age Ed played third base for a team sponsored by O.L.P.H. (Our Lady of Perpetual Help) and I played against him at second base for a team called the Rams. He had a strong arm, good glove man and solid hitter. We had the better team but he made it to the Majors while my team mate Frank Kempf did not. Fond Memories.

Gary Venezia
March 20, 2020
Mr. Yost was my neighbor on Long Island during the years he coached third base for the N.Y Mets. I have very fond memories of him and his family. Mr. Yost would often come out to the street and hit some baseballs to all of the kids. The man was a true gentleman.

Baruch Gitlin
July 14, 2020
For no good reason at all, I decided to look up Eddie Yost today and saw this page. Like Larry Burns, I grew up thinking of Eddie Yost as the gold standard of 3rd base coaches - just like Lindsey, Bob, and Ralph were the gold standard of announcers.

It's nice to see that he was really as great a guy as he always seemed to be! I guess when you start with a great man like Gil Hodges, it shouldn't be surprising that he brought class individuals like Eddie Yost to be on his coaching staff.

bob sef
April 26, 2021
I really lucked out in the 80s. I worked as a remote engineer for a Spanish radio station here in the Bay Area, so I got an "all access" pass. I was a pest! I grabbed baseballs and collected autographs Mr. Yost was hitting fungos, and I approached him and asked if if it was ok to talk to him. He said of course I peppered him with 69 Mets questions for about 20 minutes he didn't mind. Hodges-Seaver etc. I was in Mwt heaven. Rhen he asked a question "where did you live in ny?" I told him Brooklyn, he says "ahh I knew it!" "The nicest people come from Brooklyn" I will never forget it. Rest in peace Mr. Yost RIP AND THANK YOU!

Bob Walace
October 13, 2023
Happy 97th, Eddie. You're still my hero, and a belated shout out back to September 16th, the 70th anniversary of Eddie Yost day at old Griffith Stadium. My dad took me. What a thrill that was for an 8 year old kid.