Clarence Edward Berger was an outfielder and catcher who, when signed by the Pirates in 1914, was acquired at one of the highest prices ever paid for a player coming out of the Virginia League.

Born November 1, 1894 in East Cleveland, OH, Berger spent most of his youth in Alexandria, VA. After a varied sporting life at Fork Union Prep School, Berger played football for the University of Richmond. As a fullback, he helped break a three-year losing streak by scoring a touchdown and leading the Spiders past William and Mary in 1912. In baseball season, he jumped to Fredericksburg College and pitched, caught, and played the outfield.

In 1913, Berger apparently signed to play with Steve Griffin and Petersburg in the Virginia League but wrote that he was going back to college at Richmond – which landed Berger on the suspended list for a year.

After graduating from the University of Richmond, Berger signed with Richmond in the Virginia League for 1914. After initially getting off to a slow start and fearing getting released, he found his batting stroke after applying for a job with a team in the Appalachian League. Fortunately for Richmond, though, he stayed put. Berger had a pretty good season as a left fielder – among the league leaders in hits and triples. One note said that Berger was a bad ball hitter “…the greatest natural wild pitch hitter in the land…”

Pittsburgh got wind of him and Barney Dreyfuss purchased his contract for $2500, depending on the article it was among the largest if not the largest price paid for a Virginia League player by that time. Berger finished the 1914 season for Virginia before joining the Pirates in September. In limited action in the outfield, Berger mustered a hit in thirteen at bats. Farmed out to Richmond in the International League for 1915, and then farmed to a lower level team in Newport News, he struggled to hit and his career as a baseball player ended rather quickly.

Odd Trivia: An article about Berger written when he played in Richmond said he threw right-handed and batted right-handed. (And the photo, above, confirms his throwing hand…) A note about him in 1914 in the Pittsburgh Press says he batted lefty. Hmmm…

After his playing days, he lived with his brother, Howard, or his parents, Charles and Della. By 1920, he’s listed as a bookkeeper for a dye company. In 1930 and 1940, the US Census shows him as a chemist for a dry cleaner. Somewhere after that he met his wife, Edith.

Berger passed away June 30, 1959. Edith, more than a decade his junior, joined him in 1982.  Berger was a socially connected man.  When he died, his obit needed four entries: his obit, and notices from the Masonic Temple, Union of Operating Engineers, and his craftsman union.

NOTES:

Malbert, Gus. “Berger Writes He’ll Not Play”, Richmond Times-Dispatch, 25 March 1913, Pages 8-9.

Malbert, Gus. “Spiders Break Losing Streak of Three Years”, Richmond Times-Dispatch, 10 November 1912, Page 7.

Richmond Times-Dispatch, 14 February 1915, Page 13.

Malbert, Gus. “Who, What and Why”, Richmond Times-Dispatch, 21 March 1915, Page 15.

“Another New Pirate”, Pittsburgh Press, 22 August 1914, Page 12.

“Baseball Notes.”, Pittsburgh Press, 6 September 1914, Page 23.

“Outfielders Joe Kelly and Berger and Released by Pirates to Minor League Clubs”, Pittsburgh Press, 14 February 1915, Page 16.

“Clarence Berger Is Sent To Newport News.”, Pittsburgh Press, 19 April 1915, Page 32.

Photo. Richmond Times-Dispatch, March 22, 1914: Sporting Section, Page 1.

Clarence Berger’s Statistics at Baseball-Reference.com
Clarence Berger’s MLB Record at Retrosheet.org