| Dave Bergman | |
|---|---|
| First baseman, Outfielder, Designated hitter | |
| Born: June 6, 1953 Evanston, Illinois |
|
| Batted: Left | Threw: Left |
| MLB debut | |
| August 26, 1975 for the New York Yankees | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| October 4, 1992 for the Detroit Tigers | |
| Career statistics | |
| Batting average | .258 |
| Home runs | 54 |
| Hits | 690 |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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David Bruce Bergman (born June 6, 1953) was a Major League Baseball first baseman, designated hitter, and outfielder.
Born in Evanston, Illinois, Bergman is an alumnus of Maine South High School and Illinois State University.[1][2][3] His uniform number 12 was retired at Illinois State in 1994.[4][5]
Bergman was drafted by the Chicago Cubs out of high school, but he opted to pursue a college degree rather than sign with his favorite team.[4] At Illinois State, he was voted the team MVP in 1973 and 1974.[5] In 1974, he was named an All-American outfielder by The Sporting News.[4][6] He ended his college career with a .366 batting average and 63 RBI.[5]
Drafted by the New York Yankees in the 2nd round of the 1974 Major League Baseball Draft, Bergman was a batting champ and league MVP in each of his first two minor league seasons, first with the New York - Penn League and then with the Eastern League.[5][7] He played in only 12 games with the Yankees between 1975 and 1977, before being traded to the Houston Astros in December 1977. In four years with the Astros from 1978–1981, Bergman was a part-time player who never had more than 186 at bats or one home run in a season.
In April 1981, Bergman was traded to the San Francisco Giants. In 1983, Bergman appeared in 90 games for the Giants and hit six home runs with a .286 batting average.
On March 24, 1984, Bergman was traded twice; from the Giants to the Phillies, and then from the Phillies to the Tigers. Bergman was the starting first baseman for the Detroit Tigers team that defeated the San Diego Padres in the 1984 World Series. He appeared in 120 games for the 1984 Tigers and had a career-high 44 RBIs and seven home runs.
On June 4, 1984, Bergman came to bat in the 11th inning with two men on base and two outs in a game against the Toronto Blue Jays. Bergman fouled off seven pitches, and on a full count hit the 13th pitch of the at bat into the upper deck at Tiger Stadium for a walk-off, three-run home run. In his book, Bless You Boys, Detroit manager, Sparky Anderson, wrote, "Tonight I saw the greatest at bat in my life...Bergie fouled off seven pitches and then picked one practically off the ground and drilled it into the upper deck in right. What a battle! Bergie was up there a full seven minutes."
He hit a career high .294 for the Tigers in 1988, and in August 1989, he broke up a Nolan Ryan no-hitter with a one-out single in the 9th inning.[4]
Bergman played 9 seasons for the Tigers, with most of his time being spent as useful a left-handed batting platoon or reserve player. During his last seasons, he split time at first base with Cecil Fielder, and would also serve as a defensive replacement. Despite not usually hitting for a high batting average (.258 career), he finished his career with a solid Adjusted OPS of 101. Bergman was noted for his strike zone judgment, and accumulated more base on balls than strikeouts over the course of his career (380 to 347).
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