Fun facts about Dick Bertell:
-A native of Oak Park, IL, Dick attended Iowa State University before signing with the Cubs in 1957.
-In his fourth pro season, he received a September callup to Chicago. He debuted on September 22, 1960, driving in a run on a sacrifice fly in his first trip to the plate.
-In 1961, he split catching duties with Sammy Taylor and hit .273 with 33 RBI in 92 games. He also threw out 43.5% of attempted base stealers.
-On August 26, 1961, he led off the ninth inning with a game-tying home run against Pittsburgh fireman Roy Face, sparking a five-run rally that ensured a 7-3 Cubs road win.
-Dick batted a career-high .302 in 1962 while sharing the load behind the plate with Cuno Barragan and Moe Thacker (yes, I just wanted an excuse to drop the names of Cuno Barragan and Moe Thacker).
-He led the National League with a 60.8% caught stealing percentage in 1963, gunning down 45 of 74 would-be thieves!
-Bertell was traded to the Giants during the 1965 season and played sparingly behind starting catcher Tom Haller. He spent all of 1966 at AAA Phoenix.
-He was traded back to the Cubs in April 1967, but played in only two games before returning to the minors. Chicago released him a month later, ending his playing career.
-In parts of 7 seasons, Dick batted .250 with 10 home runs and 112 RBI. He had a 47.6% caught stealing rate for his career.
-He passed away at age 64 in 1999.
My brother had both the 65 Bertell and Knoop cards. In fact had a Sammy Taylor and Cuno Baragan cards in previous the 62 and 63 set respectively. No problem getting Cub catchers.
ReplyDeleteAnon - It's entirely possible that Cub catchers are one of this nation's most plentiful resources.
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