Torey Lovullo Never Met Yogi Berra But Says ‘He’s Going To Be Missed’

Countless Yogi Berra stories have poured out from around the Major League Baseball community Wednesday, and though Boston Red Sox interim manager Torey Lovullo never met the New York Yankees legend, news of his passing brought back fond memories.

“Unfortunately I never met Yogi, but he is such a great part of the game and he’s going to be missed,” Lovullo said before Wednesday’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays. “I know that he’s a special part of the New York Yankees and their tremendous history. He was responsible for them winning eight to 10 world championships (10 wins, and a record 14 appearances), and that speaks for itself.

“I was able to kind of hear a little bit of Yogi Berra through my grandpa’s eyes, who taught me a lot about baseball, a lot about the history of baseball and how to respect the game. And my grandfather said that he was a great leader and he got big hits in the right moments. Those are the things that I remember most about him.”

Lovullo did play for the Yankees in 1991, but Berra and then-Yankees owner George Steinbrenner had been estranged for several years since the latter fired Berra as New York’s manager in 1985.

The Red Sox held a moment of silence in honor of Berra at Fenway Park before Wednesday’s game.