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The Villages
Thursday, March 28, 2024

91-year-old Villager who played major league ball will be back in the spotlight

George Yankowski played for the Philadelphia A's.
George Yankowski played for the Philadelphia A’s.

George Yankowski was 19 when he jumped to the major leagues in the summer of ’42. He was fresh out of Northeastern University in Boston and signed as a catcher by the old Philadelphia A’s.  Yankowski was feeling his oats until one day a kid came up to him.

“Hey mister,” the little boy yelled. “can I get your autograph?”

Yankowski smiled, looked down at the youngster and scribbled his name on a piece of paper.

The child gazed for a minute at the name and blurted out in an incredulous howl: “George Yankowski? Who the heck is George Yankowski?”

“Hey kid,” Yankowski shouted in disbelief, “that’s me!”

That was a long time ago. But Yankowski, 91, is still spry and full of memories, life and laughter. He lives in the Village of Polo Ridge with his wife, Mary, and will appear at the Sports Card and Collectible Show and Sale, Saturday Sept. 13 in the Laurel Manor Recreation Center. The show runs from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. More than 60 exhibitors will attend and admission is free.

“I love going to these shows and talking baseball,” Yankowski said, fresh from a round of golf and sitting in his dining room on a rainy afternoon. He bubbled with enthusiasm, wearing a white sports shirt and navy blue shorts.

Yankowski even has his own baseball card. He had two brief stints in the American League with the A’s in ’42 and — after serving in World War II and earning a Bronze Star — he finished up with the Chicago White Sox in ’49.

George and Mary Yankowski of the Village of Polo Ridge.
George and Mary Yankowski of the Village of Polo Ridge.

A few years ago a friend with the Baseball Hall of Fame helped Yankowski get a card made, picturing him in his White Sox uniform.

“It’s nice to have your own baseball card,” Yankowski said. “It means something special.”

Yankowski’s version of a wonderful life goes far beyond baseball. He graduated from Northeastern and also earned a Master’s Degree from Boston University. He spent more than two decades as a teacher and coach at his alma mater, Watertown High School. He then moved on to a business career until retiring at 85. He was elected to the Watertown High School Hall of Fame in 1993.

But it’s that baseball past that really puts the twinkle in Yankowski’s eyes. Like the character Moonlight Graham in the movie, “Field of Dreams,” Yankowski may have had a short and obscure career but you can find his name in the Baseball Encyclopedia. He also rubbed shoulders with some of the biggest names in baseball history, including Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Stan Musial and Connie Mack.

In 1942, World War II was dominating life in America and many big leaguers were called into the service. That’s one reason Yankowski got his shot with A’s and their Hall of Fame Manager Connie Mack.

“I was 19 when Mr. Mack signed me and it was like a dream,” Yankowski said. Mack was near 80 at the time and famous for wearing a suit tie and hat in the dugout.  “To me he seemed ancient,” Yankowski said.

Yankowski made his mark in his hometown of Boston when he hit a double off the wall that rookie season. “My mother and father came to see me play. It felt great just stepping on that field,” he said. In the same game, a young, budding star named Ted Williams hit a homer for the Red Sox. Yankowski likes to tell the story how, as a catcher, he argued with an umpire who called a pitch a ball on Williams. “Leave the kid alone,” Williams told the ump, according to Yankowski.

After the ’42 season ended, Yankowski joined the service and served with General George Patton’s Third Army in the Battle of the Bulge. While in the Army, Yankowski played on a service team managed by Babe Ruth.

“I came up and got a hit to left field,” Yankowski said. “Babe was coaching first. He put his arm around me and said, ‘Great hit, kid.’”

When Yankowski’s stint in the Army ended, he went back to the A’s in 1946. Mack was still managing but Yankowski wanted a raise. He made about $1,500 his first year and said Connie Mack’s son had told Yankowski he would get $1,800.

Connie Mack didn’t buy the deal. Mack told him he was “just like all the other players – all you’re interested in is money.” Mack then released Yankowski.

Yankowski went back to college, kicked around baseball and wound up with the White Sox in ’49. Then he was sent back to the minors and eventually went into teaching.

“Everything works out for the best,” Yankowski said. So it was at the Battle of the Bulge, one of the most famous and crucial battles of World War II.

“Let’s just say it was different,” Yankowski said. “I was one of the lucky ones – I’m here to talk about it. I saw too many people wounded and dead. I knew then the war was so much more important than any game of baseball.”

Yankowski has six children and after his first wife died, he met Mary at a golf outing. She taught special education at Watertown High School for over four decades. She was a widow. They married 15 years ago and can be spotted on Villages’ golf courses or performing ballroom dance routines at local recreation centers and town squares.

“Dancing makes a big difference for both of us,” Mary said.

“George always says, ‘you’ve got to keep moving.’ He has such a great attitude about life. He makes people feel good.”

Yankowski’s secret to longevity and happiness is simple.

“You’ve got to be lucky and you’ve got to learn to laugh,” he said. “Life can be tragic but it helps a lot if you can smile”

 

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