Books and articles about Wally Berger

Had there been an award for Rookie of the Year in 1930, Wally Berger would have won it. He hit .310 that year for the Braves and established National League rookie records with 38 homers and 119 RBI. The powerfully built centerfielder was the heart of the Boston offense for seven seasons. Berger had torn up the Pacific Coast League with Los Angeles in 1929, establishing a club record with 40 HR, but he was the property of the Cubs, who in 1930 had the only all-100 RBI outfield ever, with Riggs Stephenson, Hack Wilson, and Kiki Cuyler. Berger was traded to Boston, where he batted over .300 in each of his first four seasons. In 1933 he led the Braves into the first division for the first time in 12 years. He hit .313, and though he missed nearly three weeks with illness, had 27 HR, exactly half his team's total, and second in the league to Chuck Klein. He was the NL's starting centerfielder in the 1933 and 1934 All-Star games. Berger's power statistics were not helped by his home ballpark. Still, he hit 105 home runs in Braves Field, more than any player in history. He had success with curveball pitchers, but his nemesis was Carl Hubbell, whose screwball would upset Berger's timing for several games. After his league-leading performances of 1935 (34 HR, 130 RBI), Berger suffered a shoulder injury in 1936. It worsened in 1937, when he was traded to the Giants, and he saw limited duty before being sent to the Reds, for whom he batted .307, in May 1938. Relegated to part-time play again in 1939, he was released to the Phillies in May 1940. Despite hitting .302 in 22 games, he was let go a month later.
(DBev)

Dave Bergman 1953- ;1B-OF 1975, 77- Yankees, Astros, Giants, Tigers ;1076 g, .260, 44 hr, 224 rbi.

LCS 3, 10 g, .375, 4 rbi.

WS 1, 5 g, .000.

Bergman was a batting champ and league MVP in each of his first two minor league seasons, but with little power has never been an everyday starter in the ML. He hit a career-high .294 for the Tigers in 1988, and his lefthanded bat and steady glove are assets on the bench. On March 24, 1984, he was traded twice; from the Giants to the Phillies, and then from the Phillies to the Tigers. (SCL)

FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY » November 14, 1929: The Braves send OF George Harper, P Art Delaney, and cash to Los Angeles (PCL) for OF Wally Berger. » May 1, 1930: At Pittsburgh, rookie Wally Berger blasts homers in the 7th and 8th innings to lead the Braves to a 4–3 win over Larry French. After Berger's 1st homer, Johnny Neun, in his 5th season, adds his first ML homer. » August 31, 1930: With a chance to pick up a game and a half on the leading Cubs, the Giants edge the Braves 4–3 in the opener a doubleheader before 40,000 fans at the Polo Grounds. In the 2nd game, Mel Ott hits a double and three consecutive home runs to drive in six runs, but the Braves counter with a homer by George Sisler and two by slugging rookie Wally Berger among their 18 hits. Ott is the 4th major leaguer to hit three straight homers, joining Goose Goslin (August 19, 1930) Carl Reynolds (July 2, 1930), George Kelly (September 17, 1923), and Cap Anson (August 6, 1884). The final score is Boston 14, New York, 10. » September 17, 1930: The Braves Wally Berger adds three HRs in a doubleheader against the Reds en route to a rookie record. » September 27, 1930: Almost overlooked is Wally Berger's 38th HR for the Braves, at Ebbets Field, as Boston tops Brooklyn 7-1. It is a record for rookies and still stands as an NL record. » April 27, 1931: Wally Berger, Boston Braves CF, ties the modern mark for the outfield by recording 4 assists, helping Socks Seibold shut out the Phillies 2-0. » May 30, 1931: Despite the Baker Bowl's reputation as a home run haven, no one had hit a ball over the stadium wall since 1922. But Wally Berger, Boston Braves slugger, clears it in a 10–9 loss to the Phillies. » September 23, 1933: The Phils and Braves, split a twinbill, each winning 5–4. Chuck Klein has three hits in each game, including his National League-high 28th homer in the opener. Boston's Wally Berger, 2nd in homers with 26, is out of action and doesn't play today. » September 30, 1933: With the visiting Phillies leading 1–0 in the 4th, Boston's Wally Berger clouts a grand slam and the Braves hold on to win, clinching 4th place. It is Boston's highest finish in 14 years. » June 20, 1934: New manager Pie Traynor paces the Pirates to a 6–5 win over the Braves, stopping a losing skein of five games. Traynor laces three doubles and single and counted the winning run in the 9th inning. Arky Vaughn is 4-for-4 for the winners to raise his average to .363, two points off the leaders (Leslie: /365; Medwick: .365; Terry: .363) Wally Berger keeps the Braves in the game with a two-run homer in the first and a game tying homer in the 9th. Leon Chagnon, in relieve of Red Lucas, is the winner. » August 11, 1935: Wally Berger hits a HR, two doubles, and a triple, to tie the modern record for extra-base hits in a game. » September 4, 1935: The Cards score four in the 8th, then Dizzy Dean picks up a save in the 9th to beat the Braves, 5–3. Jess Haines, who fails for the 11th time to win his 200th game, is lifted after seven for Bill Walker who promptly tees up Wally Berger's 30th homer of the year. Walker gives up two hits but is the winning pitcher. » September 16, 1935: Brown beats Brown as Pittsburgh reliever Mace Brown pitches five innings of shutout relief to beat Boston, 5–3. Wally Berger's 3rd double of the game in the 9th is the only hit he allows. The Bucs Gus Suhr plays 1B in the last inning to run his streak of consecutive games played to 619, a new NL record. The old mark was set by Eddie Brown from 1924 to 1928. » July 7, 1936: The National League, having lost the first three All-Star Games, wins 4–3 at Boston's National League Park with four different Cub players (Galan, Herman, Hartnett, and Demaree) scoring runs. After Dizzy Dean and Carl Hubbell each pitch scoreless 3-inning stints, Curt Davis is hammered by the American League, including Lou Gehrig's home run, but Lon Warneke shuts the door. Meanwhile, the NL is helped by Joe DiMaggio's loose fielding and error and Augie Galan's home run. DiMag is the first rookie to play in an All-Star game. NL plays its starting lineup except for two late-inning pinch hitters. Local favorite and 3-time starter Wally Berger doesn't appear. Missing from the NL roster are Dolph Camilli and Buck Jordan, co-leaders at .348, as well as the eventual batting champ Paul Waner. » July 26, 1936: Before a paid attendance of 41,596 in Boston—the largest crowd in the National League since 1930—the Cards and Bees split. The Bees take the opener, 4–3, on Wally Berger's two run homer in the 8th inning off Jess Haines. The nitecap is knotted at 2–2 in the 7th, when the Cards unload five runs. Joe Medwick leads off the frame with a homer, Johnny Mize doubles, and Virgil Davis homers to knock out Ben Cantwell. After two more reach base, Dizzy Dean drives them both home to ensure his 16th win of the year. Dean a run-scoring triple in the 3rd as well. » June 15, 1937: The Boston Bees sell star OF Wally Berger to the New York Giants for $35,000 and P Frank Gabler. » June 6, 1938: The Reds get Wally Berger from the Giants for Alex Kampouris. » May 20, 1940: Behind 7–1, the Phils score seven runs in the 9th inning to edge the Pirates, 8–7. Morrie Arnovich, with a single his first time up in the 9th, walks with the bases loaded to push across the winning run. Wally Berger's two run single had tied the contest at 7–7. » August 14, 1987: Oakland's Mark McGwire slugs his 39th home run of the season, off Don Sutton in the 6th inning, in a 12-inning 7–6 win over California, breaking the major-league record for rookies shared by Wally Berger and Frank Robinson. McGwire will finish the season with a whopping 49 homers. » October 23, 1993: Mike Piazza is the unanimous choice for National League Rookie of the Year. Selected as a favor to a friend of Tommy Lasorda's on the 62nd round of the 1988 draft, Piazza is the first rookie since Walt Dropo in 1950 to hit .300, collect 30 homers, and 100 RBIs. No NL rookie has done that since Wally Berger in 1930. » September 19, 2001: The Cardinals beat the Brewers, 8–2, as Matt Morris wins his 20th game of the season. Albert Pujols drives in three runs for St. Louis to set a new NL rookie mark with 120 for the season. The old mark of 119 was set by Wally Berger of the Boston Braves in 1930.