Exactly when Berkenstock first took up the game of baseball is unknown; the National Association of Base Ball Players, the first organized amateur league, was not founded until 1857, when he was 26. Peter Morris, in But Didn\'t We Have Fun?: An Informal History of Baseball\'s Pioneer Era, 1843-1870, mentions him as a noteworthy player from amateur days, but doesn\'t specify when he began. According to Marshall D. Wright\'s book, The National Association of Base Ball Players, 1857-1870, Berkenstock debuted with the Athletic Club of Philadelphia (the original team of this name, and not related to the American League team that now plays in Oakland) in 1863, when he was 32. The New York Clipper newspaper described Berkenstock as "not a pretty player, being heavy and clumsy, but does good service (and) generally manages to hold any ball thrown to him." He also served as treasurer for the Athletics.\n', '

Statistics were very sketchy in the early days of baseball; the only numbers available today are Games Played, Runs Scored and "Hands Lost" (a player was charged with a Hand Lost every time he made an out at bat or on the basepaths). Stats like hits, walks, total bases and runs batted in were still years away from being compiled. Generally speaking, a good player would score more runs than have Hands Lost.\n', '

Berkenstock played four years with Athletic, from 1863-66:\n', '

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