Wally Berger

Walter Anton Berger (October 10, 1905 – November 30, 1988) was an American professionalbaseball player,scout andmanager. He played inMajor League Baseball (MLB) as anoutfielder from 1930 to 1940, most prominently as a member of theBoston Braves, where he was four-timeAll-Star player and was one of the most prolific powerhitters of his era before injuries prematurely ended his playing career after just 10 seasons.^[1]^[2]

Wally Berger

Outfielder
Born:(1905-10-10)October 10, 1905 Chicago,Illinois, U.S.
Died: November 30, 1988(1988-11-30) (aged 83) Redondo Beach, California, U.S.
Batted: Right Threw: Right
MLB debut
April 15, 1930, for the Boston Braves
Last MLB appearance
July 2, 1940, for the Philadelphia Phillies
MLB statistics
Batting average	.300
Home runs	242
Runs batted in	898
Stats atBaseball Reference

Teams
Boston Braves /Bees (1930–1937) New York Giants (1937–1938) Cincinnati Reds (1938–1940) Philadelphia Phillies (1940)
Career highlights and awards
4×All-Star (1933–1936) NL home run leader (1935) NL RBI leader (1935)

In his first season as a major league player, Berger hit 38 home runs to set ahome run record for rookies which stood for 57 years.^[1] He averaged 28 home runs and 103runs batted in along with a .307batting average over the first seven years of his career, and was the startingcenter fielder for theNational League (NL) in thefirst All-Star Game.^[1]

Berger played in relative obscurity for the perennially losing Braves teams of the 1930s.^[1]^[2] In1935 he led the NL with 34 home runs and 130 runs batted in despite the Braves having thefourth-most losses in MLB history.^[2] His 190 home runs hit as a Brave are a Boston franchise record and, he was the seventh NL player to hit 200 career home runs.^[1]

Berger also played for theNew York Giants,Cincinnati Reds and thePhiladelphia Phillies.^[2] He appeared in twoWorld Series campaigns later in his career with the Giants in1937 and the Reds in1939, losing both times to theNew York Yankees.^[2] After serving as abaseball coach in the United States Navy duringWorld War II, Berger worked as a scout for the Giants and Yankees and managed in the Yankeesminor league organization.^[1]

Early life

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Born inChicago but raised inSan Francisco, Berger playedthird base forMission High School, sharing the infield with futureHall of Fame shortstop andAmerican League presidentJoe Cronin, who mannedsecond base.

Professional career

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Through 2025, he was one of five players to hit 20 or more home runs in their rookie year before July, along withAlbert Pujols (2001),Joc Pederson (2015),Cody Bellinger (2017), andPete Alonso (2019).^[3] Berger's 38 home runs as a rookie in1930 established a major league record that would stand for 57 years until eclipsed byMark McGwire's 49 in1987; his NL record was tied byFrank Robinson in1956, and broken byCody Bellinger's 39 in 2017.Pete Alonso hit 53 in 2019. Berger still shares the record for being the fastest player to hit 20 home runs (51 games), shared withGary Sánchez (who accomplished the feat on September 27,2016)^[4] andCody Bellinger (June 19, 2017).^[5] Bergerbatted .310 that season, and his 119 runs batted in were also an NL rookie record, since topped byAlbert Pujols in2001.

Berger made the NLAll-Star team in the first four years the game was held (1933–1936), starting in the first two. In1933 he finished third in the Most Valuable Player voting, behindCarl Hubbell andChuck Klein, after hitting 27 home runs (half the Braves team total), second in the league behind Klein's 28. Of the eighteen players who started the 1934 All-Star Game, Berger is the only player not elected to theMajor League Baseball Hall of Fame.^[6] In 1935, he led NL outfielders inputouts with 458.Eddie Mathews broke his Braves franchise record of 38 home runs in1953, the team's first year in Milwaukee, and surpassed his mark of 199 career home runs in1957.

Berger's productiveness was lessened by a shoulder and hand injury during the 1936 season. Berger was traded to theNew York Giants in June 1937; his first home run for the team was the 200th of his career. In the1937 World Series, he made only three pinch-hitting appearances, going hitless. In June 1938 he was traded to theCincinnati Reds, where he would remain until 1940; his1939 World Series performance was even more dismal than in 1937, going 0 for 15. He ended his career in 1940 with thePhiladelphia Phillies.

In 1,350 games over an 11-season career, Berger posted a .300 batting average (1550-for-5163) with 809runs, 299doubles, 59triples, 242 home runs, 898 RBI, 435walks, .359on-base percentage and .522slugging percentage. Defensively, he recorded an overall .975fielding percentage playing at all three outfield positions and first base.^[7]