1934-1936 Diamond Stars: #25 Walter Berger

Walter Anton Berger

Boston Braves

Outfield

Bats: Right Throws: Right Height: 6'2" Weight: 198

Born: October 10, 1905, Chicago, IL

Major League Teams: Boston Braves 1931-1935; Boston Bees 1936-1937; New York Giants 1937-1938; Cincinnati Reds 1938-1940; Philadelphia Phillies 1940

World Series Appearances: New York Giants 1937; Cincinnati Reds 1939

Died: November 30, 1988, Redondo Beach, CA (83)

Wally Berger enjoyed a solid multi-year run in the early 1930s in which he was the top player for the Boston Braves/Bees franchise, earning MVP votes in each season between 1932 and 1936. Berger hit 38 home runs in his rookie season of 1930, a record for rookies that stood until 1987 when broken by Mark McGwire, and he drove in 119 RBIs, a National League rookie record that was in place until surpassed by Albert Pujols in 2001. Berger was a four-time All-Star and the National League's starting center fielder in the inaugural All-Star Game in 1933. Of the 18 players who started the 1934 All-Star Game, Berger is the only one not currently in the Hall of Fame. He never topped the 38 home runs he hit in 1930, but he led the league in 1935 with 34 home runs and a career-high 130 RBIs. Shoulder and hand injuries suffered during the 1936 season hurt his power numbers in subsequent years, and Berger would retire following a final season in the minors in 1941, playing for the Cubs' top affiliate, the Los Angeles Angels.

Upon his retirement, Berger owned a career .300 average with 242 home runs and 898 RBIs, with his home run tally 12th on the all-time list following the 1940 season. He briefly scouted with the Giants and Yankees in the late 1940s before leaving baseball for good.

Building the Set

November 6, 2021 from Cooperstown, NY (Seventh Inning Stretch) - Card #34

Needing a quick vacation and wanting to take our sons to Cooperstown for the first time, we took advantage of the annual NJEA Teacher Convention in which public schools are closed for a few days in early November. We loaded our car on Thursday morning with a loose plan of spending two days in Cooperstown and the surrounding area, shopping in the village, soaking in the Hall of Fame exhibits and eating a few good dinners. The 4 1/2 hour drive to Otsego County was scenic and enjoyable. Most of the day Friday was spent in the Hall of Fame and Saturday was dedicated largely to shopping in the many stores, mostly baseball related, located in the blocks surrounding the Hall.

We had spent a little bit of time in the multi-level Seventh Inning Stretch, located adjacent to Doubleday Field, on Friday. But on Saturday I wanted to dig in to their haphazard, loosely alphabetical, collection of baseball cards for sale on their second floor. I spent close to 45 minutes going through the boxes, and this Berger card was one of about a dozen cards I picked out among the glorious mess of cards covering all eras between early 20th Century the late 2010s. Berger was the most expensive card of the lot at $35. A few cards were added for our ongoing 1965 Topps set and I also couldn't resist picking out a few low-priced cards for our future 1959 and 1969 Topps sets.

Variations Available

1 - 1935 / green back / 1934 statistics / 1935 copyright

The final 12 cards in the Diamond Stars set, released as part of series three in 1936, contain the exact same photos and players as earlier cards from the set. Berger shows up again as card #108, with the same text on the back save for his 1935 statistics at the bottom replacing his 1934 statistics. With the Braves changing their nickname to the Bees for the start of the 1936 season, National Chicle painted over the Braves word mark and logo for Berger's second card. Also, the ink on the back of card #108 is blue, similar to all cards from the third series.

The Card / Braves Team Set

A quick search of Getty Images turned up what appears to be the source photo used for Berger's card, taken by legendary photograph Charles Conlon. I've always thought of this as one of the more iconic cards from the set, featuring a great look at the Braves' jersey from the era, a colorful background and a few faceless teammates making cameos for good measure. The back of the card gives a few tips to aspiring batters on how best to stride toward a pitch and what do with your arms while swinging.

1935 Season

One of Berger's best season, he led the league in both home runs and RBIs as mentioned above, while batting .295 as the Braves' regular center fielder. The Braves were awful, going 38-115, and Berger was truly one of the only bright spots on the team. His 34 home runs accounted for 45% of the entire team's total (75) with Babe Ruth (#109) finishing second on the team with six home runs. Berger started 149 games in center for Boston, with Tommy Thompson getting the other four starts. He was also again the starting center fielder for the National League All-Stars, but went 0 for 2 in the contest with a strikeout against Lefty Grove (#1).

Phillies Career

On May 10, 1940, the Reds released Berger and the now veteran outfielder signed with the Phillies five days later on May 15th. Berger had held out for a higher salary with the Reds in the spring, after hitting 14 home runs for the team during their pennant-winning 1939 season.

The Reds ultimately relented, but Berger received minimal playing time and his release came as a surprise. Berger appeared in 20 games for the Phillies, hitting a respectable .317 (13 for 41), including his final career home run on June 5th against Cubs pitcher Larry French. Not receiving any playing time, Berger requested his release from the club, which was granted on July 5th.