We’re headed back to LA for #7 and a catcher for the Dodgers who shared a World Series MVP with two other Dodgers. Steve Yeager wore lucky number 7 with pride and he was a Dodger for 13 of his 14 years in the majors. He is currently the catcher’s coach for the Dodgers. Lou Brock once called Yeager “the best throwing catcher in the league.”
Yeager is famous for an incident in that happened in 1979. Yeager was injured when teammate Bill Russell’s bat shattered and a large, jagged piece hit him in the neck while Yeager was in the on-deck circle, piercing his esophagus. He had nine pieces of wood taken out of his neck in 98 minutes of surgery. After the incident, Dodger trainer Bill Buhler invented and patented a throat protector that hangs from the catcher's mask. It was soon worn by most catchers around the Majors and other leagues. And a trivia note to end on: Yeager is the nephew of the famous pilot, Chuck Yeager, who was the first man to break the sound barrier.
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