Dick Bertell
Dick Bertell | ||
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Runs batted in | 112 | |
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Richard George Bertell (November 21, 1935 – December 20, 1999) was a right-handed
Chicago Cubs
Bertell was born in Oak Park, Illinois. The Cubs signed him as an undrafted free agent out of Iowa State University in 1957.[3] He made his major league debut with the Cubs in the second game of a doubleheader on September 22, 1960. Though he went hitless, Bertell knocked in a run with a sacrifice fly in his first at-bat. He recorded his first major league hit three days later, singling off Bob Grim of the St. Louis Cardinals. He went 2-for-15 in his first season, knocking in two runs in five games.[1]
Bertell found himself in a
The 1963 season found the Cubs rebounding and posting a winning record for the first time since 1946. Bertell also saw his playing time increase, his third straight season as the club's starting catcher. He led National League catchers in 1963 with a 60.8% baserunners caught stealing percentage, the twelfth highest single-season total in Major League history.[4][5] Unfortunately, he could not maintain his previous season's batting prowess, dipping to .233 with 2 home runs and 14 RBI.[1] In 1964, Bertell had career best totals of doubles (11), triples (3), home runs (4) and RBIs (35), and had a batting average of .238.[1] He also led National League catchers in throwing out baserunners with 34.[6]
San Francisco Giants
Bertell spent the first two months of the
Bertell was under contract to San Francisco in 1966 but he did not play in the majors. Just prior to the beginning of the 1967 season, the Giants traded him back to the Cubs for Don Bryant.[3] He played two games with the Cubs, on April 11 and April 12, before being released. His final major league hit was a triple off Hall of Famer Jim Bunning, his first triple since 1964.[8]
Death
Bertell died on December 20, 1999, in Mission Viejo, California.[9]
In 2000, Bertell was inducted into the Iowa State Hall of Fame.[10]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Dick Bertell Stats - Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "100 Best Catcher CS% Totals at The Encyclopedia of Baseball Catchers" (PDF).
- ^ a b Inc., Baseball Almanac. "Dick Bertell Trades and Transactions by Baseball Almanac". www.baseball-almanac.com.
{{cite web}}
:|last=
has generic name (help) - ^ "1963 National League Fielding Leaders - Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "Encyclopedia of Baseball Catchers - Season Fielding Leaders". members.tripod.com.
- ^ "1964 National League Fielding Leaders - Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "The Spokesman-Review - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com.
- ^ "Philadelphia Phillies at Chicago Cubs Box Score, April 11, 1967 - Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "The Spokesman-Review - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com.
- ^ "Dick Bertell at the Iowa State Hall of Fame". Archived from the original on 2010-02-28. Retrieved 2010-01-27.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet
- Dick Bertell's 60-foot Trip to Success, Baseball Digest, by Jerome Holtzman, June 1965, Vol. 24, No. 5, ISSN 0005-609X