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Baseball legend Yogi Berra, an 18-time MLB All-Star and 10-time World Series champion, is a name synonymous with the New York Yankees. However, before achieving iconic status, Berra had a lesser-known chapter in his career: playing baseball in Rhode Island while serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II.
Stationed at the Naval Submarine Base in Groton, Connecticut, as the war was winding down in 1945, Berra’s love for baseball couldn’t be contained to just the base team. According to his son, Larry Berra, Yogi “was signed with the Yankees, so he wasn’t supposed to be playing semi-pro ball…I think he just wanted to play ball and he would do anything to do it.” This desire led him to cross state lines and join the Cranston Chiefs in Rhode Island.
Playing Under an Assumed Name
To keep his moonlighting under wraps, Berra played under an assumed name, “Cusano.” He made around $50 per game and even had to pay off the shore patrol to get on and off the Naval base without being reported. The Cranston Chiefs were a Rhode Island-based minor-league baseball club in the class-B New England League, and they were sometimes known as the Providence Chiefs.
A Talent on the Field
Ed Iannuccilli, in his article “Yogi played in Rhode Island,” recounts his father’s memories of that time. His father, a Red Sox fan in a predominantly Yankees-supporting Federal Hill neighborhood, had a special affinity for Berra because “When Yogi was stationed at Groton, Conn. while in the Navy, he played right here in Rhode Island, in Cranston, at the Stadium, for the Cranston Chiefs, to make a little extra money.” He further explained that Berra played under an assumed name because he wasn’t supposed to play while in the service.
A Legacy Remembered
Charles Bevis’s book, “The New England League; A Baseball History, 1885-1949,” also mentions this era, noting the “rampant use of professional ball players who used assumed names to participate in New England League games” in 1945. It specifically highlights Crash Davis and Yogi Berra as the two most famous players to use an alias.
A Remarkable Talent
Iannuccilli’s father fondly remembered Berra’s talent, saying, “Berra was so good, and just a kid…You know, the city had to raise the fence in right field 30 feet because one day Cusano (Berra), hit a ball 500 feet onto the roof of the bible building (the Cranston Bible Chapel, on Crescent Avenue). Plus, he never takes a pitch. He hits everything, no matter where it is.” This anecdote truly illustrates the caliber of player that was briefly gracing the Rhode Island baseball scene under a false name.
A Hidden Chapter Revealed
While a recent documentary about Yogi Berra, “It Ain’t Over,” chronicles his remarkable career, it reportedly “doesn’t expand on the baseball star’s time in Connecticut,” which implicitly includes his Rhode Island escapades.
A Lasting Legacy
For the baseball enthusiasts of Rhode Island, the knowledge that one of the game’s all-time greats once played on their local fields adds a unique layer to the state’s rich baseball history. Even though he was known as “Cusano” at the time, the legend of Yogi Berra’s Rhode Island stint lives on, a testament to his unwavering passion for baseball, even during his service in World War II. It’s a hidden chapter in a celebrated career, a reminder that even the most famous stories have fascinating footnotes.