Wood vs. Wood #360

Last time 1987 squeaked out a 5-4 win. What will happen here? 573 combined HR between these two.

Yogi Berra wields his big bat at Yankee Stadium, the centerfield flagpole and scoreboard in the background. If you ask any Yankee fan who watched the team in the 1950s and early 1960s, even those who idolized Mickey Mantle, and they'll tell you that with the game on the line, the man they wanted up at the plate was Yogi Berra. Berra, who owns numerous World Series hitting records, was widely considered the best clutch hitter in baseball. He hit for average and power in an era when most catchers contributed little with the bat. He had amazing plate coverage, probably the best-known "bad ball" hitter until Vladimir Guerrero. In only two of his nineteen seasons did he strike out more than he walked; in six seasons he walked two or three times his number of strikeouts! He even had more home runs than strikeouts five times. Berra's defense and pitch-handling abilities were somewhat underrated. He famously caught Don Larsen's perfect game, and doesn't get enough credit for the excellent pitching staffs during the height of the Yankee dynasty. During his playing days, Berra appeared in numerous advertisements and commercials, and opened a bowling alley in New Jersey with teammate and close friend Phil Rizzuto. Like Rizzuto, Berra's seemingly goofy personality overshadowed his playing skills in the public eye and somewhat obscured just what a fantastic ballplayer he was. After his career, Berra managed both the Yankees and Mets to pennants. He died at the age of 90 in 2015.

Pedro Guerrero hits one a long way during a spring training game. A lifetime .300 hitter, Pedro Guerrero played fifteen years in the major leagues for the Dodgers and Cardinals. A five-time All-Star, his best season was 1985, when he led the National League in both slugging and on-base percentage as he hit .320 with 33 HR and 87 RBI to lead the Dodgers into the playoffs. Once popular on social media, he has kept a low profile since a serious health scare in 2017. He shared his thoughts on baseball cards with this blog in 2013.