Bergman Brings Home Pitcher of the Month Honors May 8, 1999
Punxatawney, PA (AP)
Just a year ago, Sean Bergman was in the bullpen, his only career start a
loss in the 6th game of the 1997 DLCS. He had thrown very well in that
loss, and hoped to begin 1998 as a starter. But he couldn't pry the job
from Mike Hampton in spring training, and it looked like he would spend
another year toiling in the bullpen.
An early season injury to Rocky Coppinger changed all that. In early May,
Bergman made his first few starts, all of which were highly successful. And
when Coppinger returned to the rotation, it wasn't Bergman who found himself
in the bullpen. He had a successful year, going 16-5 with a 3.06 ERA in 25
starts (as well as 9 relief appearances).
So this April, it was obvious that Bergman would take his rightful spot in
the rotation. As the number 3 starter, the expectations for Bergman were
similar to last year. But in April, he was so dominant that those
expectations have been bumped up a notch. While his stats as of April 30th
have magically vanished, his stats as of May 8th reflect his great month.
So far, he is 4-1 with an 0.97 ERA in 6 games. His ERA was even lower on
April 30th.
"This has simply been one of the best months I've ever had. My pitches are
moving wherever I want, I'm hitting spots with ease, and my team is giving
me more than enough run support," Bergman said in acceptance of the award.
Unfortunately for another Punxatawney pitcher, Bergman's great month robbed
him of a chance for a PiOTM award. Rocky Coppinger is 5-1, 1.48 ERA so far
with 6 quality starts in 6 games, and he has held righties to a .176
average.
"It's great to have Sean throwing as well as he is. It takes a lot of
pressure off the rest of us when he throws like this," noted Coppinger.
Shapiro also wanted to note that the Punxatawney reliever of the month was
none other than Curly Karkovice, for the first time beginning a season in
the majors. So far, "CurlyK" has thrown 11 2/3 innings, allowing just 1 run
and only 1 inherited runner to score.
Punxatawney's POTM is Tony Batista. Currently, he leads all starters in the
following categories: AB, R, H, 3B, RC, SB. He also has 5 homers and 14
RBI out of the leadoff spot with a .564 slugging percentage.
But he could not top Frank Thomas's miracle month, where he is still hitting
.445 with 19 homers. In fact, something needs to be done about the Calgary
Cowboys. The top 5 homerun hitters in the DL are all on that team!
