Batting average .216 Role Baseball player Name Ray Berres | Runs batted in 78 Home runs 3 | |
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Died February 1, 2007, Kenosha, Wisconsin, United States | ||
Bob lee and ray berres playing catch 1984 or 85 simmons field kenosha wi
Raymond Frederick Berres (August 31, 1907 – February 1, 2007) was an American professional baseball catcher and pitching coach. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Brooklyn Dodgers, Pittsburgh Pirates, Boston Bees/Braves and New York Giants.
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- Bob lee and ray berres playing catch 1984 or 85 simmons field kenosha wi
- Ray berres 1st pitch at kenosha twins game 84 or 85
- References
Born in Kenosha, Wisconsin, Berres was a 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) 170-lb, light-hitting catcher who, thanks to his fine glove, managed to play in 11 major league seasons for four National League teams, usually in a backup role. He provided fine catching, quality game-calling, and a respectable throwing arm. Drafted by the Brooklyn Dodgers from the Birmingham Barons (Southern Association) in the 1933 Rule 5 draft, he debuted with Brooklyn in 1934, backing up Al López behind the plate.
He returned to the minor leagues in 1935, but became Brooklyn's starting catcher when Lopez was traded to Boston in December 1935. His most productive season came as a 1936 rookie, when he posted career highs in batting average (.240), hits (64) and doubles (10). The Pittsburgh Pirates, short of catching, signed him a year later.
Before the 1940 season, Berres was traded by Pittsburgh to the Boston Bees in exchange for Lopez. He played in part of two seasons with the Boston franchise, including their first year as the Braves in 1941, when he appeared in a career-high 120 games while hitting .201(56-for-279); he also led the NL in fielding percentage with a .995 mark. After backing up a series of Giants catchers for four seasons, he finished his career with that team in 1945. In an 11-season career, Berres was a .216 hitter with three home runs and 78 runs batted in in 561 games played.
After serving as a bullpen catcher for the Boston Braves (1947), Berres was the pitching coach for the Chicago White Sox for nearly two decades (1949 through 1966, then midseason of 1968 through 1969), primarily under manager Lopez. During that time, he was a member of the 1959 American League champions.
Berres died in his hometown of Kenosha, Wisconsin from pneumonia at the age of 99. Berres was elected to the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in 1999.