Former major leaguer Berres dies at 99: Kenosha County resident was best remembered as successful pitching coach

Saturday, February 3, 2007 2:14 AM CST

Former major leaguer Berres dies at 99

Kenosha County resident was best remembered as successful pitching coach

Associated Press

KENOSHA - Ray Berres, a former major league catcher and longtime pitching coach for the Chicago White Sox, has died. He was 99.

Berres died Thursday of heart failure and pneumonia at his home in Kenosha, the White Sox said Friday.

Berres was the second-oldest living major leaguer; Rollie Stiles, who pitched for the St. Louis Browns from 1930 to 1933, is 100.

In 11 seasons, Berres hit .216 with three home runs and 78 RBIs in 561 games. He played for the Brooklyn Dodgers (1934, 1936), Pittsburgh Pirates (1937-40), Boston Braves (1940-41) and New York Giants (1942-45).

Berres served as the White Sox's pitching coach from 1949 to 1966 and in 1969. Among the pitchers he worked with were Hall of Famers Early Wynn and Hoyt Wilhelm.

Bob Lee, who was president and general manager of the Kenosha Twins minor league baseball team from 1984-1991, was a close friend of Berres. "We talked so much baseball," Berres told stories about such famous players as Babe Ruth and Ted Williams, but Lee remembers Berres as an outstanding pitching coach.

"He would reclaim pitchers they were maybe going to give up on. Ray Berres would talk to the manager about him and they would pick him up. A classic example was Bob Shaw." Berres has seen Shaw throw a ball hard, disgusted that he had just been sent to the minor leagues. "With that one throw, he saw something." Berres told Shaw, "If you work with me, I think we can turn you into a good pitcher." Shaw then led the American League in 1959 with a .269 ERA, and .750 winning percentage, finishing the season, 18-6.

Lee says that Berres was able to gain the confidence of pitchers, as he worked with them on their mechanics. He quotes Berres, "I was the godfather of the pitching staff. They trusted me. I never told the manager some things." Berres' 1952 and 1953 White Sox pitchers led the league in strikeouts, Lee says, and the 1964 and 1966 staffs led the league in ERAs.

He says that former White Sox and Yankees pitcher Goose Gossage credited Berres for his success. Lee adds, "He was just a master of picking up little flaws in pitchers. For example, he says, Berres thought pitcher Tommy John had a flaw in his mechanics. He watched John swinging golf clubs, and said, "Stop right there? See what I'm saying? See where your arm is? Your hips?" Lee says that as John recalled the incident, "The light went on."

Lee called even the baseball commissioner's office to tell them of his friend's death. He says that if there were a hall of fame for coaches, Berres would have been inducted. "He was a great man, liked by everyone. He was a humble man."

Final arrangements are pending, but Lee says that services will likely be Tuesday or Wednesday in Kenosha.

Berres was survived by his son, John.

Special Offer: Get 5 Weeks of the Journal Times for $7!