Sean Bergman

Infobox MLB retired
name=Sean Bergman
position=Pitcher
bats=Right
throws=Right
birthdate=birth date and age|1970|4|11
debutdate=July 7
debutyear=by|1993
debutteam=Detroit Tigers
finaldate=June 17
finalyear=by|2000
finalteam=Minnesota Twins
stat1label=Win-Loss
stat1value=5.28
stat2label=Earned run average
stat2value=39-47
stat3label=Strikeouts
stat3value=455
teams=
*Detroit Tigers (by|1993-by|1995)
*San Diego Padres (by|1996-by|1997)
*Houston Astros (by|1998-by|1999)
*Atlanta Braves (by|1999)
*Minnesota Twins (by|2000)
*Kintetsu Buffaloes (by|2001-by|2002)
highlights=

Sean Frederick Bergman (born April 11, 1970 in Joliet, Illinois) is a former right-handed Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the Detroit Tigers, San Diego Padres, Houston Astros, Atlanta Braves, and Minnesota Twins between by|1993 and by|2000. Bergman attended Joliet Catholic High School in Joliet, Illinois, before attending Southern Illinois University.

Standing at 6'4", 205 pounds (one source puts him at 225 pounds), Bergman was originally drafted by the Tigers 115th overall in the by|1991 draft.

He spent his first professional season, 1991, with the Niagara Falls Rapids of the New York-Penn League. In 15 games with them, he went five and seven with a 4.46 ERA. A starter, he struck out 77 batters in just over 84 innings of work.

He started the by|1992 season with the Lakeland Tigers, going five and two with them, with a 2.49 ERA. He finished his second professional season with a nine and nine record, posting a 3.41 ERA. This is because after his promotion to the London Tigers, he went only four and seven with a 4.28 ERA.

Although his by|1993 minor league season was statistically lackluster (eight and nine with a 4.38 ERA), he still must have impressed the big-league Tigers enough to earn a promotion. He made his Major League debut on July 7 of that year against the Minnesota Twins. Oddly, the first team he faced in his career would end up being the last team he played for. Overall, he went 1-4 in nine games with the Tigers in 1993. He walked 23 and struck out 19 in 39+ innings. One notable achievement though is that he pitched a complete game in the first start of his career.

He spent most of by|1994 with the Toledo Mud Hens, posting an 11-8 record. He started three games in the Majors, going 2-1. Bergman spent the majority of the by|1995 season in the Majors. In 28 games started, he posted a 7-10 record with a 5.12 ERA. His 13 wild pitches were second in the league, trailing only Al Leiter's 14. He did pitch one shutout, which put him ninth in the league. Right before the by|1996 season, he was traded by the Tigers with Cade Gaspar and Todd Steverson to the San Diego Padres for Raul Casanova, Richie Lewis, and Melvin Nieves.

He spent two seasons with the Padres, posting a combined record of 8-12 with an ERA of 5.17. After the by|1997 season, he was traded from the Padres to the Houston Astros for James Mouton. by|1998 was perhaps Bergman's best season -- he posted a record of 12-9 with a 3.72 ERA. He walked only 42 batters in 172 innings of work. In 1998, he gave up home runs to both Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire as they both chased Roger Maris' single-season home run record.

He started by|1999 with the Astros, but after posting a 4-6 record with a 5.36 ERA for the Astros to start the season, he was released and signed with the Atlanta Braves. He appeared in relief in six games with the Braves, posting a solid 2.84 ERA.

Selected off waivers by the Twins after the 1999 season, he was brought in to try to aid a team who had a struggling starting rotation. He did not make it any better. He started 14 games for them, posted a 9.66 ERA, and by late June, was released. His big league career ended on June 17, 2000, but his pro career did not. He bounced around the minors until by|2004, even playing in Japan in by|2002.

Overall, he went 39-47 with a 5.28 ERA in 196 games. He walked 272 batters and struck out 455 in 750 1/3 innings of work.

At last check, he lived in Bryan, Ohio.

Bergman currently is the pitching coach at the NCAA Division II level, Coaching the Findlay Oilers

External links