{{Short description|Dutch baseball player (born 1981)}} {{Infobox MLB player | name = David Bergman | image = David_Bergman_honkballer_in_1998.jpg | caption = Bergman in 1998 | position = Pitcher | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1981|8|16|df=y}} | birth_place = Haarlem, Netherlands | bats = Right | throws = Right |medaltemplates= {{MedalSport | Men's baseball}} {{MedalCountry | {{NED}} }} {{MedalCompetition|Baseball World Cup}} {{MedalGold| 2011 Panama City | National team}} {{MedalCompetition|Intercontinental Cup}} {{MedalSilver| 2010 Taichung | National team}} {{MedalCompetition|European Baseball Championship}} {{MedalGold| 2003 Netherlands | National team}} {{MedalGold| 2007 Montjuïc | National team}} {{MedalSilver| 2010 Stuttgart | National team}} {{MedalGold| 2014 Brno | National team}} {{MedalCompetition|{{Interlanguage link multi|France International Baseball Tournament|fr|3=France International Baseball Tournament}}}} {{MedalGold| {{Interlanguage link multi|France International Baseball Tournament 2014|fr|lt=2014 Sénart}} | National team}} }} '''David Franciscus Johan Bergman''' (born 16 August 1981) is a Dutch former professional baseball player. He pitched for the Netherlands national team in international tournaments, including the 2008 Summer Olympics and 2006, 2009, and 2013 World Baseball Classics. He also played for several teams in the Honkbal Hoofdklasse, the top Dutch league.
== Career == Bergman started his career at {{Interlanguage link|Haarlem Nicols|nl}} and later at DSS. He was first selected for the Netherlands youth team in 1997, playing for the team for three years and winning three consecutive European championships. In 1999, he won the Roel de Mon Award, a trophy for the best junior pitcher in de Honkbal Hoofdklasse. A year later, he won the 2000 Triple Crown Tournament in Belgium with the Dutch national B-team.
Bergman was first selected for the Netherlands national team in 2003. There, he joined Pioniers teammates Robin van Doornspeek and Roger Kops, who are also both pitchers. That year, Bergman took part in the World Port Tournament, the European Baseball Championships, and the 2004 Olympics qualification tournament. With Pioniers, he won the 2003 European Cup Winners' Cup and the 2004 European Super Cup. He did not make the 2004 Olympics team, but he rejoined the national squad for the 2005 European championships in the Czech Republic, where they won the title. After the European title, Bergman and the Dutch team finished fourth in the 2005 World Cup, held in the Netherlands. Bergman won one of his two games and finished with a 1.00 earned run average.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=David Bergman |url=https://www.honkbalsitearchief.nl/nederlandsteam/davidbergman.html |access-date=2026-01-19 |website=Honkbalsite archief}}</ref>
Bergman was part of the Dutch squad for the 2006 World Baseball Classic (WBC) in Puerto Rico. The Netherlands won one of their three games in the tournament. He pitched 1{{fraction|1|3}} inning against Puerto Rico, allowing one run and four hits.<ref>{{Cite web |title=WBC Stats {{!}} WBC Team Stats {{!}} Kingdom of the Netherlands (2006) |url=https://www.mlb.com/world-baseball-classic/stats/pitching/kingdom-of-the-netherlands/2006 |access-date=2025-12-01 |website=MLB.com}}</ref> Later that year, he took part in the Dutch squad that played at the European Baseball Series,<ref>{{Cite web |title=European Baseball Series 2006 Statistieken Nederland |url=https://www.honkbalsitearchief.nl/events/ebs2006/statistieken.html |access-date=2026-01-19 |website=Honkbalsite archief}}</ref> Haarlem Baseball Week, and Intercontintental Cup, where the Netherlands finished second.<ref name=":0" />
2006 was also one of Bergman's best years with his club. In his first season with Kinheim, he went 12–2.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=David Bergman Career Stats Leagues Statistics |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=bergma002dav |access-date=2026-01-19 |website=Baseball Reference}}</ref> Kinheim were regular league champions and defeated Pioniers in the Holland Series.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=2006 |title=Kinheim wint landstitel |url=https://www.honkbalsitearchief.nl/competitie/2006/hollandseries.html |access-date=2026-01-19 |website=Honkbalsite archief |language=nl}}</ref>
Bergman pitched 7 shutout innings in the 2007 European Championship to qualify the Dutch for the 2008 Olympics.<ref>{{Cite web |date=16 September 2007 |title=Nederland plaatst zich voor Olympische Spelen |url=https://www.honkbalsitearchief.nl/events/os2008/ek_nederland1609.html |access-date=2026-01-19 |website=Honkbalsite archief |language=nl}}</ref> At the Olympics, he earned a save in a win over China but was 0–1 with a 13.52 ERA.<ref>{{Cite web |title=2008 Summer Official Results |url=https://digital.la84.org/digital/collection/p17103coll8/id/64368/rec/4 |access-date=2025-12-01 |website=LA84 Foundation |pages=[https://digital.la84.org/digital/collection/p17103coll8/id/64327/rec/4 50], 91}}</ref>
In March 2009, Bergman took part in the 2009 WBC. He allowed 3 runs in five innings of relief over three games.<ref>{{Cite web |title=WBC Stats {{!}} WBC Team Stats {{!}} Kingdom of the Netherlands (2006) |url=https://www.mlb.com/world-baseball-classic/stats/pitching/kingdom-of-the-netherlands/2009 |access-date=2026-01-19 |website=MLB.com |language=en}}</ref> Bergman was on the 2011 World Cup-champion team,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Terug naar Toen: Nederland wint WK honkbal |url=https://www.nporadio1.nl/fragmenten/villa-vdb/9d4080b7-2d5d-43b2-b841-7c895f28d3d9/2024-10-15-terug-naar-toen-nederland-wint-wk-honkbal |access-date=2026-01-19 |website=NPO Radio 1 |language=nl}}</ref> which received the knighthood in the order of Orange-Nassau.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Clair |first=Michael |title=Netherlands legend and WBC star de Jong passes away at 46 |url=https://www.mlb.com/news/netherlands-star-sidney-de-jong-passes-away-at-46 |access-date=2026-01-09 |website=MLB.com |language=en}}</ref>
In 2012, Kinheim finished fourth in the Hoofdklasse regular season yet made it to the Holland Series where they won the national title when they defeated Neptunus in a 4–0 sweep. Bergman got 13 strikeouts in 8 innings in the decisive Game 4 and was named the series MVP.<ref>{{Cite web |date=21 August 2012 |title=Kinheim wint landskampioenschap |url=https://www.honkbalsitearchief.nl/competitie/2012/index.html |access-date=2026-01-19 |website=Honkbalsite archief |language=nl}}</ref>
Bergman pitched in the 2013 WBC. He took the loss in a seeding game against Japan after allowing 7 runs in {{Fraction|1|2|3}} inning.<ref>{{Cite web |title=MLB Gameday: Netherlands 6, Japan 10 Final Score (03/12/2013) |url=https://www.mlb.com/gameday/netherlands-vs-japan/2013/03/12/361281/final/box |access-date=2026-01-19 |website=MLB.com |language=en}}</ref>
Bergman retired from the national team in October 2014.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2014-10-16 |title=Pitcher Bergman stopt bij Oranje |url=https://nos.nl/artikel/710627-pitcher-bergman-stopt-bij-oranje |access-date=2026-01-19 |website=nos.nl |language=nl}}</ref> He continued to pitch in the Dutch league regularly through 2016.<ref name=":2" />
== References == {{Reflist}}
==External links == {{baseballstats|br=|brm=bergma002dav}} {{Navboxes|title=Netherlands national baseball team|titlestyle= background:#000000; color:white; ; {{box-shadow border|a|#F89123|2px}}|list1= {{Netherlands 2006 World Baseball Classic roster}} {{Netherlands 2009 World Baseball Classic roster}} {{Netherlands roster 2010 European Baseball Championship}} {{Netherlands roster 2011 Baseball World Cup}} {{Netherlands 2013 World Baseball Classic roster}} {{Netherlands roster 2014 European Baseball Championship}} }}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bergman, David}} Category:2005 European Baseball Championship players Category:2005 Baseball World Cup players Category:2006 World Baseball Classic players Category:2007 European Baseball Championship players Category:2009 World Baseball Classic players Category:2010 European Baseball Championship players Category:2013 World Baseball Classic players Category:2014 European Baseball Championship players Category:Olympic baseball players for the Netherlands Category:Baseball players at the 2008 Summer Olympics Category:Baseball players from Haarlem Category:1981 births Category:Living people Category:Konica Minolta Pioniers players Category:Corendon Kinheim players Category:Knights of the Order of Orange-Nassau Category:World Baseball Classic players of the Netherlands