OT - Former Detroit Tiger Dave Bergman passes away at age 61
Sad news, as Dave Bergman, one of the '84 Bless You Boys has passed away too soon at age 61. Acquired right before the start of the magical '84 season, Bergman was the everyday first baseman except when spelled from time to time by Darrel Evans.
http://www.wxyz.com/sports/former-tiger-dave-bergman-dead-at-age-61
He may not have had the star power of some of the other guys on that team, but he had some great moments.
I'm a bad embedder, so here are links to a couple great memories:
Bergman dupes Alan Wiggins with hidden ball trick: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8sJ8AAKag4
13-pitch at bat ends with walkoff 3-run shot to beat Blue Jays at the Corner: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xn44Rsn9WlY
Bless you, Mr. Bergman. You were part of an amazing summer that many of us will never forget.
February 2nd, 2015 at 3:48 PM ^
Very sad to hear that, he was a good player for the Tigers, especially in 1984. Condolences to his family. Always a Tiger!
February 2nd, 2015 at 3:49 PM ^
Ah, '84 Topps. What a great baseball card design.
February 2nd, 2015 at 6:05 PM ^
1983 Topps will always be my favorite set -- but you gotta love those '84s, too.
RIP, Dave. One of my favorites back in the day.
February 2nd, 2015 at 3:46 PM ^
I will always remember Bergman for that marathon at-bat against the Jays that ended with a homer. Bless You Boys!
February 2nd, 2015 at 4:09 PM ^
or last year anyway... The ball lands in the best value seats I've ever known.
February 2nd, 2015 at 7:33 PM ^
The Tigers and all of their fans believed they were a team of destiny after that at bat.
February 2nd, 2015 at 4:53 PM ^
Not only was the home run awesome, but I still vaguely remember the look of Roy Lee Jackson (Toronto's #25) starting around the 8th pitch or so, that look of "COME ON, MAN!" with the shoulder shrug. Great for the Tigers and Bergman, absolutely maddening for himJackson, I am sure.
RIP Dave Bergman. Your contributions to the Tigers on the field (particularly in that one fantastic summer) and your work making the world better off the field will be remembered.
February 2nd, 2015 at 5:57 PM ^
was really hot for a while. IIRC he was batting 330 or so and people were wondering if he was going to have enough AB's to compete for the batting title. Then he slumped at the end. But it was a great season for him. Especially at 35.
February 2nd, 2015 at 8:26 PM ^
Thanks for posting the 13-pitch at bat video. I will never forget that.
That summer. Probably - well, definitely - as close as I'll ever come to living the Sandlot.
February 2nd, 2015 at 3:53 PM ^
Back then I used to almost look forward to going to bed, because then I could secretly plug in my little radio and listen to Ernie Harwell.
"Thank you Paul"...
"That ball was caught by a woman from Hamtramick"...
I'll hear that in my head forever.
Bergie was a clutch hitter in my memories. Hell, the entire team was clutch that year. But, I'd wonder why he was playing over Evans, and have another great at bat. 54 home runs over a 17 year career. But, he was a Tiger and, in my mind, a good one.
RIP Mr. Bergman.
February 2nd, 2015 at 4:39 PM ^
listening to John Hiller pitch the 9th inning of a Fidrych game. We were behind and wound up losing the game, but I was just desperately hoping Hiller could keep it close so we might take the lead in our half of the ninth. I think that was '76 so I would have been 8 or 9.
I was born in '67 and when I started school at Michigan the only M football coach I ever knew was Bo and the only Tiger announcers were Ernie and Paul. What a nice experience to grow up with. So many kids a little younger than me had the same experience with Yzerman as captain of the Wings and obviously Red as our hockey coach.
February 2nd, 2015 at 4:23 PM ^
Evans only hit .222 against righties, though he did have the power. Bergman had a .360 OBP against righties in '84, and Sparky was one of the earlier managers to recognize the value of OBP over the main stats. Plus he played very good defense at 1st. And Sparky often used Evans as a DH.
That being said, Bergman only started 67 games at 1st in '84, so he wasn't really the "everyday" first baseman. Barbaro Garbey played there a bunch and Evans occasionally too. But he was the primary guy against righties.
RIP Dave. You were an underappreciated asset on that '84 team.
February 2nd, 2015 at 4:38 PM ^
As I recall, he was money as a pinch hitter.
I remember listening to that epic at-bat on the radio...I think Ernie called it but I'm not 100% sure. Sometimes Carey switched to play-by-play in the late innings
February 2nd, 2015 at 4:52 PM ^
while Ernie did the color. Ernie did the PBP for 1,2,3,7,8,9. I don't remember if they switched again in the 10th.
February 3rd, 2015 at 7:26 AM ^
Man, that's what it meant to grow up in the 80's, listening to Ernie and Paul on a summer night. I really miss that
February 2nd, 2015 at 10:50 PM ^
to the rest of his career, but he hit .304 as a PH in 1984.
February 2nd, 2015 at 5:59 PM ^
was he had such a good eye but such a lousy batting average. But that's what happens when you're a slow runner.
February 2nd, 2015 at 3:55 PM ^
I remember I was probably 10 or so and late in his career being burned one day he was playing in place of Cecil Fielder( I think) at first base. He hit two homers that day! Always liked the guy thou.
February 2nd, 2015 at 3:55 PM ^
that was cool to see. i thought for sure the tigers were going to start slipping and that the jays would start making up ground. bergman ended that fear in dramatic fashion. it was quite a moment. he'll be missed.
February 2nd, 2015 at 3:59 PM ^
Seemed very down to earth from his interviews. I will never forget that 13 pitch w/o HR v the Jays. RIP Dave.
February 2nd, 2015 at 4:02 PM ^
God bless you Dave. A truly wonderful guy.
February 2nd, 2015 at 4:04 PM ^
His younger brother is my neighbor and hitting coach for my sons here in Chicago area.
I have nver met Dave, but obviously have heard a lot about him and remembered watching him growing up in Detroit area.
He has battled this cancer so hard for so long. Such a sad sad story.
I did not grow up Tigers fan (bitter cubs fan, especially in 1984), but that 84 team was so much fun to follow. They dominated baseball right out of the gate.
Prayers for the entire Bergman family.
February 2nd, 2015 at 4:11 PM ^
That epic 13-pitch AB which ended with the Dave Bergman homer was one of the most dramatic sports moments ever for this Tiger fan. That moment was the first thing I thought of when I saw the sad title of this thread.
Rest in Peace, Mr. Bergman. Thank you for the thrills you provided while wearing the Old English 'D'.
While it's a shock to see this headline, it drives home the point that the heroes of my youth are getting old. It's been 30 seasons now since the Tigers could call themselves the "Defending World Champions; those young Tigers of '84 are now all in their 50's and 60's
February 2nd, 2015 at 4:24 PM ^
Very poignant post, captures my emotions as well.
That '84 team as now lost Bergman, RP Aurelio Lopez, Sparky, Gates Brown (hitting coach), and Billy Consolo (bench coach).
February 2nd, 2015 at 5:13 PM ^
oops, never mind.
February 2nd, 2015 at 4:13 PM ^
Sad news. The '84 Tigers are my favorite sports team of all time and Bergman was a big part of it.
February 2nd, 2015 at 4:14 PM ^
Oh crap. That's awful to hear. I had a chance to meet the guy once or twice when I was growing up and he was really one of the good guys without a shred of doubt. As nice as could be. The kind of guy who made it so easy to root for the Tigers.
February 2nd, 2015 at 4:16 PM ^
Great teammate. Great defensive player. Perfect complementary player on those fantastic 80's Tigers teams. RIP Dave. Thanks for the baseball memories.
February 2nd, 2015 at 4:20 PM ^
Thanks for the memories Dave.
February 2nd, 2015 at 4:24 PM ^
He created a scholarship fund for the kids who worked in the home clubhouse for the Tigers. He was a class act.
February 2nd, 2015 at 4:25 PM ^
I remember the at bat. I think I was at the game. RIP
February 2nd, 2015 at 4:26 PM ^
this. I'll just think of him and Sparky are reminiscing instead.
February 2nd, 2015 at 4:47 PM ^
I hate cancer! Prayers for the family.
February 2nd, 2015 at 4:48 PM ^
Dave Bergman was one of the most helpful people in my recruiting process. He was not shy about telling any college coach how to get in touch with my coaches and whether he thought I was a good fit in their program. He made very important connections in helping me land a scholarship to NU even though his own kid was a Spartan. Further, he invited me to play on his summer team and acted like I was doing him a favor for it. Bergman was one of the people in my life who could do favors for me that I could never repay and yet he never allowed me to think I owed him anything. He really was a great leader.
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February 2nd, 2015 at 5:08 PM ^
RIP Bergy!
February 2nd, 2015 at 5:35 PM ^
"On September 7, 1984, Tiger first baseman Dave Bergman delivered his second dramatic game winning homer against the arch rival Toronto Blue Jays.
Sparky Anderson has called the game the key victory in the chase for the ’84 pennant.
Despite an unbelievable 35-5 start, the pesky Blue Jays were just 8 ½ games behind Detroit on September 7th when the Tigers began a crucial three games series in Toronto. If the Blue Jays swept at home, Toronto would be nipping at the Tigers heels for the final month at 5 ½ games out.
In the bottom of the eighth, “Big Mo” was on Toronto’s side as they held a 4-0 lead.
However like the’68 Tiger World champs, you could never give up on the ’84 Bengals.
Kirk Gibson, who always had the flair for clawing back in dramatic fashion, belted a three run homer before the Tigers scratched out another run to tie the game.
And then in the top of the tenth, Tiger first baseman Dave Bergman, who had been acquired from Philadelphia with Willie Hernandez during spring training delivered a game winning, dramatic three run homer that devastated Toronto. The Tigers went on to sweep the series and take a commanding 11 ½ game lead over the Jays.
In his book, Bless You Boys: Diary of the Detroit Tigers’ 1984 Season, Tiger manager Sparky Anderson wrote about the pivotal September 7th game:
“I wouldn’t say it to the writers after the game. But this one won it for us. This one put the nail in the coffin. It was the biggest game of the year for us. We did what we had to do—we stopped them in their home park.”
http://blog.detroitathletic.com/2009/09/07/dave-bergman-was-key-ingredi…
February 2nd, 2015 at 6:56 PM ^
People forget how close the race still was and his epic at bat was huge. RIP!
February 2nd, 2015 at 7:08 PM ^
I remember that 13 pitch at bat being called going to war. Thank you for posting it.
February 2nd, 2015 at 7:54 PM ^
I'll never forget that HR on Monday Night Baseball vs. TOR . . .
February 2nd, 2015 at 7:56 PM ^
Bergman was the kind of guy and player a 6 year old hopes to be when he grows up.
February 2nd, 2015 at 9:26 PM ^
I had to get up early to work first shift but no way I was gonna go to bed during that at bat.