Sal Yvars
Full Name: Salvador Anthony Yvars
Bats: Right Throws: Right
Height: 5-10 Weight: 187 lbs.
Born: February 20, 1924 in New York, NY
College: None
Major League Debut: September 27, 1947
Final MLB Game: September 26, 1954
Died: December 10, 2008 in Valhalla, NY

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CAREER BATTING STATISTICS
  BATTING
Year Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB K Avg OBP SLG OPS
1947 NYG 1 5 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.200 0.200 0.200 0.400
1948 NYG 15 38 4 8 1 0 1 6 3 1 0.211 0.286 0.316 0.602
1949 NYG 3 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0.000 0.111 0.000 0.111
1950 NYG 9 14 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 2 0.143 0.200 0.143 0.343
1951 NYG 25 41 9 13 2 0 2 3 5 7 0.317 0.417 0.512 0.929
1952 NYG 66 151 15 37 3 0 4 18 10 16 0.245 0.296 0.344 0.641
1953 NYG 23 47 1 13 0 0 0 1 1 1 0.277 0.370 0.277 0.647
1953 SLN 30 57 4 14 2 0 1 6 6 6 0.246 0.306 0.333 0.640
1954 SLN 38 57 8 14 4 0 2 8 5 5 0.246 0.328 0.421 0.749
  G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB K Avg OBP SLG OPS
Totals 210 418 41 102 12 0 10 42 32 41 0.244 0.315 0.344 0.659
    BATTING BASERUNNING    
Year Team HBP GDP TB IBB SH SF SB CS SB% AB/HR AB/K
1947 NYG 0 0 1   0 0 0 0 0.00 0.00 2.50
1948 NYG 1 1 12   0 0 0 0 0.00 38.00 38.00
1949 NYG 0 0 0   0 0 0 0 0.00 0.00 8.00
1950 NYG 0 0 2   0 0 0 0 0.00 0.00 7.00
1951 NYG 2 0 21   2 0 0 0 0.00 20.50 5.86
1952 NYG 1 7 52   2 0 0 0 0.00 37.75 9.44
1953 NYG 0 3 13   1 0 0 0 0.00 0.00 47.00
1953 SLN 1 4 19   0 0 0 1 0.00 57.00 9.50
1954 SLN 1 1 24   1 0 1 0 1.00 28.50 11.40
  HBP GDP TB IBB SH SF SB CS SB% AB/HR AB/K
Totals   6 16 144 0 6 0 1 1 0.50 41.80 10.20
CAREER FIELDING STATISTICS
Year Team POS G PO A E DP FPCT INN PB SBc CSc CS% PkO
1947 NY1 C 1 3 1 0 0 1.000 5.0 0        
1948 NY1 C 15 50 8 0 2 1.000 76.7 0        
1949 NY1 C 2 11 1 0 0 1.000 10.0 0        
1950 NY1 C 9 22 4 1 0 0.963 46.0 0        
1951 NY1 C 23 46 3 3 1 0.942 117.6 2        
1952 NY1 C 59 202 40 3 3 0.988 301.6 8        
1953 NY1 C 20 70 8 0 1 1.000 102.1 2        
1953 SLN C 26 76 12 1 3 0.989 133.7 0        
1954 SLN C 21 46 9 0 1 1.000 107.3 1        
  POS G PO A E DP FPCT INN PB SBc CSc CS% PkO
Totals     176 526 86 8 11 0.987 900.0 13 0 0 #DIV/0! 0
POST SEASON BATTING
  BATTING
Year Team Playoff G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB K Avg
1951 NYG WS 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000
  G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB K Avg
Totals 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000
POST SEASON FIELDING
Year Team Playoff Pos G PO A E FPCT INN PB SBc CSc CS%
1951 NYG WS C 1 0 0 0 0.000         0.00
  Pos G PO A E FPCT INN PB SBc CSc CS%
Totals   1 0 0 0 0.000         0.00


Yvars starred at White Plains High School and, after serving three years in the Air Force, later joined the New York Giants for seven seasons, most of which he spent as a backup catcher. He batted .244 with 10 home runs and 42 RBI in 418 at-bats over 210 games from 1947-54, the last year and a half of which was spent with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Yvars played a key role in perhaps the most famous home run in the sport's history. In recent years, Yvars garnered attention when he and others revealed the intricate system the Giants used to steal signs in the latter part of the 1951 season, including during their three-game playoff series with the rival Brooklyn Dodgers that decided the National League pennant. Yvars relayed stolen signals from the bullpen to tip off hitters. One was Bobby Thomson, whose "Shot Heard 'Round the World" in the bottom of the ninth off Ralph Branca - a Mount Vernon native and Harrison resident - sent the Giants to the World Series. It is widely considered the most famous home run in baseball history. Yvars kept the story to himself for more than 40 years, but it weighed on his conscience. He began to tell the story, which was later confirmed in Joshua Prager's book "The Echoing Green," which offered a detailed retelling of Thomson's famous home run. "A lot of the Giants denied it. It was later confirmed, and everybody came forward," said Yvars' son, David. "It's not a great thing for sports, but it's the truth. My dad was one of several that came forward to admit it." Ironically, Yvars made the final out of the 1951 series. With the Giants trailing by a run with a man on second in Game 6, he hit a sinking line drive to right field that Hank Bauer of the Yankees snared with a diving catch.

After baseball, Yvars worked in finance as an investment broker for 50 years before retiring in 2005. But it was the book that allowed him to have closure for the earlier chapter of his life. In retirement, Yvars remained active in charity work, and enjoyed working in his yard and observing birds. A little less than two years ago (2007) he was diagnosed with amyloidosis of the heart, a rare disorder in which amyloid proteins attack the body's organs and cause disease. He finally succumbed after what his son described as a "courageous battle."


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