Yastrzemski retired in 1983 at the age of 44, although he stated in his autobiography Yaz that he was initially planning on playing the 1984 season, until he was tired from a long midseason slump.
He also stated that had he known how good Roger Clemens would have been as a pitcher, he would have played in 1984 to have had a chance to play with him.

No player has had a longer career with only one team, 23 seasons, a record which he shares with Brooks Robinson of the Baltimore Orioles.
His final career statistics include 3,308 games played (second all-time and the most with a single team), 3,419 hits, 646 doubles, 452 home runs, 1,844 RBIs, and a batting average of .285.
He had 1,845 walks in his career, and 1,157 extra base hits.
Yastrzemski was the first player to collect over 3,000 hits and 400 home runs solely in the American League (the feat has since been accomplished by Cal Ripken Jr.).
He was named to the All-Star Game 18 times.
Yastrzemski won three American League batting championships in his career.
In addition, Yastrzemski only trails Ty Cobb and Derek Jeter in hits collected with a single team, and trails only Cobb, Jeter and Tris Speaker in hits collected playing in the American League.
Yastrzemski is also Fenway Park's all-time leader in hits, doubles, and RBI's.
By the time of his retirement, he was the all-time leader in plate appearances, since surpassed by Pete Rose.

As one of the top players of his era, he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989, his first year of eligibility, with the support of 94% of voters.
He is one of the few Hall of Famers to directly succeed another Hall of Famer at the same position.
 For his entire career with the Red Sox, he wore uniform number 8.
The Red Sox retired this number on August 6, 1989, after Yastrzemski was elected to the Hall of Fame.
In 1999, Yastrzemski ranked number 72 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players.
That same season, he was named a finalist to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team.
Prior to his induction in the Baseball Hall of Fame, in 1986, Carl Yastrzemski was inducted into the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame.
He was inducted into the Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame on Long Island in the Baseball Category with the Class of 1990.

Yastrzemski was well known for his batting stance, holding his bat exceptionally high, giving his swing a large, dramatic arc (unexpectedly so for a well-known "fastball hitter"), and more power at the plate.
However, in his later years, he adjusted his stance and held the bat lower.
In his autobiography "Yaz", he revealed that he played his last 8 years with a damaged left shoulder which he kept secret and stated that this injury reduced his home run power.
Before this, he could hit home runs to all fields but afterwards, his home run power was mainly in pulling the ball.
 This is why he no longer held the bat high and used several batting stances to adjust to the injured shoulder.
He explained that with each new stance, he also had to change the way he swung.
This is why he never came close to hitting 40 home runs again.
He was also known for modifying his batting helmets by enlarging the right ear hole (for comfort) and removing part of the right ear flap (for better vision of the ball as it was being pitched).

"Yaz" stood out for his cagey approach to the game.
 He would decoy opposing baserunners with his left-field play.
 On fly balls headed for Fenway's Wall, he would line up as if about to make the catch just in front of the wall, waiting until the last possible moment before wheeling around to play the carom.
 This would fool baserunners into tagging up for precious extra seconds, preventing them from taking an extra base, and if they tried anyway, his deft handling of the bounce and accurate throwing arm were liable to make them pay the price.
 Once while running the basepaths himself, Yastrzemski found a unique way to induce a throwing error.
 Thrown out at second base, he failed to head immediately for the dugout, as is customary.
 Opponents made a protracted attem
Yastrzemski retired in 1983 at the age of 44, although he stated in his autobiography Yaz that he was initially planning on playing the 1984 season, until he was tired from a long midseason slump. He also stated that had he known how good Roger Clemens would have been as a pitcher, he would have played in 1984 to have had a chance to play with him.
No player has had a longer career with only one team, 23 seasons, a record which he shares with Brooks Robinson of the Baltimore Orioles. His final career statistics include 3,308 games played (second all-time and the most with a single team), 3,419 hits, 646 doubles, 452 home runs, 1,844 RBIs, and a batting average of .285. He had 1,845 walks in his career, and 1,157 extra base hits. Yastrzemski was the first player to collect over 3,000 hits and 400 home runs solely in the American League (the feat has since been accomplished by Cal Ripken Jr.). He was named to the All-Star Game 18 times. Yastrzemski won three American League batting championships in his career. In addition, Yastrzemski only trails Ty Cobb and Derek Jeter in hits collected with a single team, and trails only Cobb, Jeter and Tris Speaker in hits collected playing in the American League. Yastrzemski is also Fenway Park's all-time leader in hits, doubles, and RBI's. By the time of his retirement, he was the all-time leader in plate appearances, since surpassed by Pete Rose.
As one of the top players of his era, he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989, his first year of eligibility, with the support of 94% of voters. He is one of the few Hall of Famers to directly succeed another Hall of Famer at the same position.  For his entire career with the Red Sox, he wore uniform number 8. The Red Sox retired this number on August 6, 1989, after Yastrzemski was elected to the Hall of Fame. In 1999, Yastrzemski ranked number 72 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players. That same season, he was named a finalist to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. Prior to his induction in the Baseball Hall of Fame, in 1986, Carl Yastrzemski was inducted into the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame on Long Island in the Baseball Category with the Class of 1990.
Yastrzemski was well known for his batting stance, holding his bat exceptionally high, giving his swing a large, dramatic arc (unexpectedly so for a well-known "fastball hitter"), and more power at the plate. However, in his later years, he adjusted his stance and held the bat lower. In his autobiography "Yaz", he revealed that he played his last 8 years with a damaged left shoulder which he kept secret and stated that this injury reduced his home run power. Before this, he could hit home runs to all fields but afterwards, his home run power was mainly in pulling the ball.  This is why he no longer held the bat high and used several batting stances to adjust to the injured shoulder. He explained that with each new stance, he also had to change the way he swung. This is why he never came close to hitting 40 home runs again. He was also known for modifying his batting helmets by enlarging the right ear hole (for comfort) and removing part of the right ear flap (for better vision of the ball as it was being pitched).
"Yaz" stood out for his cagey approach to the game.  He would decoy opposing baserunners with his left-field play.  On fly balls headed for Fenway's Wall, he would line up as if about to make the catch just in front of the wall, waiting until the last possible moment before wheeling around to play the carom.  This would fool baserunners into tagging up for precious extra seconds, preventing them from taking an extra base, and if they tried anyway, his deft handling of the bounce and accurate throwing arm were liable to make them pay the price.  Once while running the basepaths himself, Yastrzemski found a unique way to induce a throwing error.  Thrown out at second base, he failed to head immediately for the dugout, as is customary.  Opponents made a protracted attem
Carl Yastrzemski