Which Major League Baseball player holds the record for most World Series victories?

As every American schoolboy knows, the New York Yankees is one of the most famous and successful franchises in sport, never mind Major League Baseball (MLB), so it stands to reason that the player who holds the record for the most World Series victories was a Bronx Bomber. That player was, in fact, the late Lawrence Peter ‘Yogi’ Berra, who died of natural causes, aged 90, at his home in New Jersey in September, 2015. One of the most successful catchers of all time, Berra played 18 seasons for the New York Yankees before retiring at the end of the 1963 season, although he did subsequently make four appearances for the New York Mets, while coaching them, in 1965.

Taking up the torch from the hard-hitting Yankees’ lineup of the Babe Ruth era in the Twenties, nicknamed ‘Murderers’ Row’, Berra was part of a dynasty that dominated baseball throughout the Fifties. All told, he played in 14 World Series, winning ten, in 1947, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1956, 1958, 1961 and 1962. Aside from his catching prowess, Berra was no mean hitter, finishing his career with a batting average of .285, 358 home runs and 1,430 runs batted in. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1972.

For the record, second place in the all-time list belongs to another New York Yankee, legendary centre fielder ‘Joltin’ Joe’ DiMaggio who, in the latter part of his career, a team-mate of Berra. DiMaggio is probably best remembered for the remarkable feat of hitting safely for 56 consecutive games between May 15 and July 16, 1941, thereby setting a record that still stands. However, despite missing three seasons due to military service during World War II, he helped the Yankees to nine World Series victories, in 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1941, 1947, 1949, 1950, and 1951.