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Bill Bergen
From BR Bullpen
William Aloysius Bergen
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 6' 0", Weight 184 lb.
- Debut May 6, 1901
- Final Game September 20, 1911
- Born June 13, 1878 in North Brookfield, MA USA
- Died December 19, 1943 in Worcester, MA USA
[edit] Biographical Information
Bill Bergen only once got off the Interstate. In eleven major league seasons, his batting average only once broke .200. He earned his keep by being a terrific defensive catcher.
He holds a number of records for bad hitting, such as an 0 for 44 streak with the Brooklyn Superbas in 1909. This was the longest hitless streak by a non-pitcher for over 100 years; Bob Buhl holds the overall record with an 0 for 87 skein, including 0 for 70 in one season. However, when Craig Counsell went 0 for 44 with the Milwaukee Brewers in early August, 2011, it brought new attention to Bergen's streak, which was then thought to have been of 45 at-bats. SABR researcher Joe Dittmar reviewed the play-by-play data for that season and confirmed on August 12th that Bergen's streak was in fact of 44 fruitless at-bats, meaning that Counsell had tied him. Bergen also has the lowest career batting average (.170) of any position player (i.e. non-pitcher) with 1000 or more at bats, and the lowest average of anyone with more than 2000 plate appearances - pitchers included.
He was the brother of catcher Marty Bergen.
Bill's minor league career stretched from 1898 to 1917, and afterwards he managed semi-pro teams.
