Jack Maguire (February 5, 1925 – September 28, 2001) was an American professional baseball player whose career lasted for eight seasons (1943; 1946–52). He played in 94 Major League games as an

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to c ...

and

utility infielder In baseball, a utility player is a player who typically does not have the offensive abilities to justify a regular starting role on the team but is capable of playing more than one defensive position. These players are able to give the various s ...

for the New York Giants, Pittsburgh Pirates and

St. Louis Browns The St. Louis Browns were a Major League Baseball team that originated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as the Milwaukee Brewers. A charter member of the American League (AL), the Brewers moved to St. Louis, Missouri, after the 1901 season, where they p ...

in – 51. A native of

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

, Maguire threw and batted right-handed. He stood tall and weighed . Maguire spent five seasons in the Giants' farm system before seeing his two full years of Major League service. He logged 30 games played as a

left fielder In baseball, a left fielder, abbreviated LF, is an outfielder who plays defense in left field. Left field is the area of the outfield to the left of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In the numbering system ...

, 13 as a

right fielder A right fielder, abbreviated RF, is the outfielder in baseball or softball who plays defense in right field. Right field is the area of the outfield to the right of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In the ...

, six games as a

third baseman A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the scoring system us ...

, three as a second baseman, and two as a

first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

. His 46 hits included five doubles, two triples and two home runs. He saw the most playing time as a member of his hometown Browns during the closing months of the 1951 season. Maguire started 30 games as a left fielder or third baseman, and had nine multi-hit games, including three-hit efforts against the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eigh ...

and

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...

on consecutive days, August 2–3.Retrosheet
/ref> As a youth growing up in St. Louis, Maguire gave

Yogi Berra Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra (May 12, 1925 – September 22, 2015) was an American professional baseball catcher who later took on the roles of manager and coach. He played 19 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) (1946–1963, 1965), all but ...

his famous nickname. One afternoon, after attending a movie that had a short piece on India, Maguire noticed a resemblance between Berra and the "yogi", or person who practiced yoga, on the screen. Maguire said "I’m going to call you Yogi" and from that moment on, the name stuck. Maguire also wore uniform #24 of the Giants from 1950 through May 23, 1951, his final game with the club. Rookie centerfielder

Willie Mays Willie Howard Mays Jr. (born May 6, 1931), nicknamed "the Say Hey Kid" and "Buck", is a former center fielder in Major League Baseball (MLB). Regarded as one of the greatest players ever, Mays ranks second behind only Babe Ruth on most all-tim ...

, recalled from Triple-A, made his MLB debut two days later, on May 25, wearing #14 but he soon inherited 24, and famously wore it for the rest of his Hall of Fame career.

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1925 births 2001 deaths Anaheim Valencias players Baseball players from St. Louis Jersey City Giants players Major League Baseball left fielders Minneapolis Millers (baseball) players New York Giants (NL) players Pittsburgh Pirates players Portland Beavers players St. Louis Browns players Trenton Giants players {{US-baseball-outfielder-1920s-stub