He was promoted to AAA Tidewater the next season going 9-9 behind Craig Swan, Randy Sterling & Bill Laxton. He would pitch at AAA Tidewater for four seasons winning nine games again in 1977 going 9-13.
He cracked the depleted Met bullpen in 1978, debuting on June 29th in relief against the Pirates in Pittsburgh. On July 30th, he blew his first save in Houston & took the loss to the Astros. In September he was 1-4, blowing a win & a hold opportunity. He went 1-4 in 1978 making 30 appearances with 26 strike outs & 27 walks in 48 innings with a 4.31 ERA. The next year (1979) got worse as he made 17 appearances, but had a 4.50 ERA in late May when he was sent down to AAA Tidewater.
Bernard toiled in the minors thru 1980 but was a member of the Brewers 1982 AL Championship pennant team.
He made 47 appearances, with six holds going went 3-1 with a 3.76 ERA. He saved six games, these came on days when Brewers ace reliever & Hall of Famer, Rollie Fingers was resting.
Post Season: Bernard pitched four scoreless innings in the post season, including one inning of relief in Game #6 of the World Series’ against the St. Louis Cardinals. Bernard then pitched in the minors for three more seasons, through 1985.
In his four year MLB career he was 4-8 with six saves in 115 games. He struck out 92 batters walked 86 in 176 innings pitched.
Retirement: Bernard is a long time AAA pitching coaching, within the Seattle Mariners & San Francisco Giants organizations.
1 comment:
I didn't know he went on to some success with the 1982 Brewers.But when a team is in a rebuilding stage,its' young prospects take on a higher profile,especially the pitchers.So when I think of the late 70's Mets,the disheveled appearance of this guy jumps to mind as one symbol of a team going nowhere and repulsive to watch: the wonderful Mets uniform graced for a decade by the clean-cut Tom Terrific,then sullied by a weirdo who better brings back memories of those other 1969 events like Woodstock and John Lennon's bed-ins.He's one of those "2-name basis" guys: Say "Dwight Bernard" to anyone who remembers that time and only instant chuckling is the normal response.
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