Dick Bertell facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Dick Bertell |
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| Catcher | |||
| Born: November 21, 1935 Oak Park, Illinois |
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| Died: December 20, 1999 (aged 64) Mission Viejo, California |
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| debut | |||
| September 22, 1960, for the Chicago Cubs | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| April 12, 1967, for the Chicago Cubs | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .250 | ||
| Home runs | 10 | ||
| Runs batted in | 112 | ||
| Teams | |||
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Richard George Bertell (born 1935, died 1999) was a professional baseball catcher. He played in Major League Baseball for the Chicago Cubs and San Francisco Giants. His career lasted from 1960 to 1967. Even though he wasn't known for hitting many Home runs, he had a really strong arm. He was great at stopping players from stealing bases. In fact, he was one of the best ever at it!
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Playing for the Chicago Cubs
Dick Bertell was born in Oak Park, Illinois. The Chicago Cubs signed him to play baseball after he finished college in 1957. He played his first Major League Baseball game for the Cubs on September 22, 1960. In that game, he helped his team by getting a run batted in (RBI) with a sacrifice fly. A few days later, he got his first official hit.
In 1961, Bertell became a regular catcher for the Cubs. He played in 92 games that year. He hit his first major league Home run on July 6. Overall, he had a good season for a catcher, hitting .273 with two home runs and 33 RBIs.
His playing time went down a bit in 1962. But he still had his best batting average that year, hitting .302. He also hit two home runs and had 18 RBIs. Even with less playing time, he was still the main catcher for the team.
The 1963 season was exciting for the Cubs. They had a winning record for the first time in many years. Bertell was still their starting catcher. He was amazing at stopping base runners that year. He led all catchers in the National League by throwing out 60.8% of players trying to steal. This was one of the highest percentages in baseball history!
In 1964, Bertell had some of his best hitting numbers. He got 11 doubles, 3 triples, 4 home runs, and 35 RBIs. He also continued to be great at throwing out base runners, leading the National League with 34 outs.
Time with the San Francisco Giants
Bertell started the 1965 season as the Cubs' main catcher. He played 34 games before being traded. On May 29, the Cubs traded him to the San Francisco Giants. He didn't play as much with the Giants. He was a backup catcher and played in 22 games.
He was still with the Giants in 1966, but he didn't play in any major league games that year.
Back with the Cubs and Retirement
Just before the 1967 season began, the Giants traded Bertell back to the Chicago Cubs. He only played two more games for the Cubs. His very last major league hit was a triple. After these two games, he was released from the team.
Later Life
Dick Bertell passed away on December 20, 1999, in Mission Viejo, California. In 2000, he was honored by being inducted into the Iowa State Hall of Fame.
