Bernier's professional career extended for 17 seasons (1948–1964). In addition to the 105
games he played for the
1953 Pirates, he appeared in an even 2,200 games in
minor league baseball, with 1,725 games played at the highest levels (Triple-A and the Open Classification) then in existence. Bernier
batted .298 with nearly 2,300
hits and exactly 200
home runs as a minor leaguer.[2] In 1952, Bernier was named the
PCL's
Rookie of the Year by the Pacific Coast League Baseball Writers Association.[3]
For the 1953 Pirates, Bernier collected 66 hits, including seven
doubles, eight
triples, and three home runs, in 310
at bats. On May 2, Bernier tied a modern major league record with three triples in a game,[4] becoming the 15th player to perform this feat in the post-
Deadball era, and the first since
Ben Chapman in 1939,[5] as well the first National League player since
Lance Richbourg in 1929.[4]
Van Hyning, Thomas V. (1995) Puerto Rico's Winter League: A History of Major League Baseball's Launching Pad. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company.
p. 120.
ISBN0-7864-1970-9.