Player Profile: Dale Berra

I have 23 cards of Dale Berra. This one is from 1985 Topps Traded.

Playing career: Infielder Dale Berra played eleven seasons in the major leagues for the Pirates, Yankees and Astros. For most of his career he was a semi-regular, defense-first shortstop. In 853 games, he hit .236 with 49 HR and 278 RBI. A fuller account of his career can be found at Cardboard Gods.

Interesting facts. He had a well-publicized struggle with cocaine, one of many early-80’s Pirates to do so. In 1989, after his playing career ended, he was arrested again for cocaine possession. The charges were dismissed on June 25, 1992, after he completed a three-year pre-trial intervention program.

The son of Yankee legend Yogi Berra, he was born shortly after Yogi caught Don Larsen’s perfect game. He was named after the final batter of that game, Dale Mitchell.

Where he is now: With his brothers Larry, a former minor leaguer, and Tim, a former NFL player for the Baltimore Colts, he runs LTD Enterprises, which markets everything related to Yogi Berra.

My memories: His playing career is before my time. Only know him from his card.

Google Autocomplete results: He is fifth when you type Dale B, between Dale Brown – Basketball Coach, the former head coach at LSU, and Dale Bronner, a bishop. There do not appear to be any other prominent Dale Berras.

Coming up next: The next profile will be Angel Berroa.