Marty Bergen (baseball)

Marty Bergen
Bergen, circa 1899
Catcher
Born: (1871-10-25)October 25, 1871 North Brookfield, Massachusetts, U.S.
Died: January 19, 1900(1900-01-19) (aged 28) North Brookfield, Massachusetts, U.S.
Batted: Unknown Threw: Right
MLB debut
April 17, 1896, for the Boston Beaneaters
Last MLB appearance
October 15, 1899, for the Boston Beaneaters
MLB statistics
Batting average	.265
Home runs	10
Runs batted in	176
Teams
Boston Beaneaters (1896–1899)

Martin Bergen (October 25, 1871 – January 19, 1900) was an American professional baseball player. From 1896 to 1899 he played in 344 games with the Boston Beaneaters of Major League Baseball (MLB), 337 of them as their catcher. Bergen helped the Beaneaters to National League pennants in 1897 and 1898, as well as a second-place finish in 1899.

Bergen appeared to have a mental illness. By 1899, he experienced hallucinations, had to be removed from a game due to odd behavior, and walked off from the team train during a trip to Boston. On January 19, 1900, he killed his wife and two children before dying by suicide.

A 2001 Sports Illustrated article described him as "a nimble fielder with a bullwhip arm who could snap the ball to second base without so much as moving his feet". In 1900, future Hall of Fame outfielder Jesse Burkett characterized Bergen as the best catcher in baseball history. He received a few Hall of Fame votes in 1937–1939, though not nearly enough to be elected.