They were in last place in the division and had the second-worst record in the league. But Houston evidently experienced an epiphany, winning 74 and losing only The streak was highlighted by a run from July 18 through August 3.
Still, on September 13 the Astros remained behind the Marlins and Phillies for the wild card. Houston finished the season with a run and beat the Phillies by one game. During the streak, Berkman batted. In the fourth game, with the Astros behind in the bottom of the eighth, Berkman hit a grand slam.
Although the Cardinals beat the Astros for the division title by 11 games, Houston got revenge by eliminating St. Louis four games to two in the League Championship Series. They were swept by the White Sox. The Series was closer than the outcome indicated: Two games were decided by two runs and two by one run.
On January 23, , Berkman had surgery on his right knee to remove scar tissue that had built up after the operation in November Though there had been some concern whether he would be ready, he was in the lineup on Opening Day. The surgery seemed to help as Berkman had one of his best seasons. He batted. I get dressed right before batting practice. Berkman followed his excellent season with a season in which he posted his lowest batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and OPS since his rookie year of He did establish one career high, but that was in strikeouts.
It can drive you crazy if you let it. You have to keep some perspective to stay sane. The bright spot was that he finished the season well.
In August and September, Berkman hit. Since , Berkman had hit better in even-numbered years. He got off to a good start in April, then exploded. In May, he hit. At one point in the streak, Berkman became just the second player in 50 years to get 19 hits in 25 consecutive at-bats. From July 1 through August 9, he went 33 games and at-bats without a home run.
The nightmare continued in September, as Berkman suffered one streak of 0-for and another of 0-for Still, the torrid start helped him earn him his fifth All-Star selection and finish fifth in voting for MVP. He hung on to lead the NL with 46 doubles, scored runs, and drove in Those are two stats that are very important for me personally.
It was his fifth team MVP award. Only Jeff Bagwell won more. In February Alex Rodriguez admitted he had taken steroids, adding his name to the list of players implicated in the drug scandal. Berkman, who adamantly denied ever taking steroids, was frustrated that the cheats made all players look bad.
One side of me is glad that these guys are getting outed. Late in spring training that year, Berkman was diagnosed with tendinitis in his left biceps. He got turned around and, from that point on, he slashed. But injuries allowed him to play only games, causing unusually low totals in home runs, runs scored, and RBIs. In Berkman entered the final season of his contract. After suffering a contusion in his left knee early in spring training, he needed surgery to remove associated cartilage debris.
Upon returning, he collected only 10 hits in his first 57 at-bats and on May 8 was batting only. With the Astros at and having not made the playoffs since , Berkman acknowledged that it was tough to play on a losing team, especially at his age. He was I love the Houston Astros. On July 31, the trading deadline, with Berkman having the worst year of his career and the Astros going nowhere, he was dealt to the New York Yankees for Mark Melancon and Jimmy Paredes.
Berkman started slowly with the Yankees, hitting only. In September, his batting average improved to. After failing to hit any homers in August, he hit only one in September. The Yankees lost the AL East title by one game but with a record of easily qualified for the wild card. Berkman started five of the nine games, all but one against a right-hander, and batted. His career with the Astros now over, Berkman ranked first in team history in on-base percentage.
The previous winter, Berkman had been inducted into the Astros Hall of Fame. In Berkman regained his old form. He rode hot opening and closing months to a batting average of. Because Berkman played much better in than he had the previous year and was in better physical shape, fans and people in the Astros organization criticized him.
He was always conscientious. Detroit as a pinch hitter Cleveland when he singled in the seventh inning San Diego View More Videos. Louis Cardinals NL. Left hip inflammation. November 3, 1B Lance Berkman elected free agency. October 24, St. Louis Cardinals activated 1B Lance Berkman.
September 1, St. Louis Cardinals activated 1B Lance Berkman from the day disabled list. August 3, St. Louis Cardinals placed 1B Lance Berkman on the day disabled list. Right knee inflammation. July 14, St. May 20, St. April 20, St. Louis Cardinals signed free agent 1B Lance Berkman. November 7, 1B Lance Berkman elected free agency. April 20, Lance Berkman roster status changed by Houston Astros. Cranky left knee.
Strained left calf muscle. Connect with MLB. All rights reserved. MLB Career Stats. Sprained right ankle. In , Berkman was midway through a great season in New Orleans when he was called up to the parent club, the Houston Astros.
Prior to the promotion, he had been hitting a robust. Throughout his entire high school, college, and minor league career, Berkman played first base. Because Jeff Bagwell was already entrenched at first, Berkman was forced to play outfield to get into the starting lineup. His first stint with the Astros ended with 34 games played. He was demoted during the offseason for seasoning.
The demotion proved brief, however; 31 games into the season, Houston again requested his services, and Berkman showed the club why they had used their first round pick on him. Moving from left field to right field , he hit. This firmly established him in the Astros lineup, and he has been a starter ever since.
He also scored runs and hit 34 home runs, while his 55 doubles led the league. With the Astros shuffling their roster around before the season, Berkman agreed to play center field. Although he lacks the range of most center fielders, he read balls well in the outfield and made very few mistakes. His power output increased also, resulting in 42 home runs. Berkman scored runs and drove in , good enough to lead the league.
His batting average dipped to. He hit 25 home runs, and only drove in 93 runs, scoring himself. In the field, he played all but one game in left field. The next season, , saw him rebound at the plate. His average was up to. He hit 30 home runs, drove in , and scored runs. He also hit 40 doubles and appeared in games, the most so far in his career for a single season. In May, his.
Defensively, Berkman split between left and right field. In , Berkman moved to first base while Jeff Bagwell was injured.
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