He played 15 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros, New York Yankees, St. Louis Cardinals and Texas Rangers.

Berkman is a six-time MLB All-Star and won a World Series championship and the National League Comeback Player of the Year Award with the Cardinals in 2011.

He joined the Astros' vaunted "Killer B's" lineup that included Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio as all three players were instrumental in the club's playoff success.

That year he also made the all-time record book in RBIs (2nd-134), slugging percentage (6th-1.031) and total bases (4th-263) while leading the Rice Owls to their first College World Series appearance.

The Astros granted him a mid-season promotion to the New Orleans Zephyrs of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League.

The Astros, who called him up to the major leagues for the first time in 1999 and already had Jeff Bagwell entrenched at first, shifted Berkman to the outfield so he could regularly hit in the starting lineup.

Because of his last name and reputation as a strong hitter, Berkman gained distinction as one of the Astros' "Killer B's" early in his career, which included Bagwell and Craig Biggio, two formidable veteran players who helped established the club as perennial playoff contenders in the 1990s and 2000s.

In fact, journalist Dayn Perry jocosely noted in 1999 that the Astros, "in pursuit of arcane history, used eight players whose last names began with 'B.

'"[12] The eight included Bagwell, Paul Bako, Glen Barker, Derek Bell, Sean Berry, Berkman, Biggio, and Tim Bogar.

[16] In a game against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field, fans waved twinkies at Berkman during the a pitching change in the seventh inning on June 1.

He subsequently hit a home run in the next innings earning chants of "Twinkie Power" when he came back to the field in the ninth.

[17][18] In May 2004, Berkman produced a .785 slugging percentage with 24 RBI winning the National League Player of the Month honors for the first time in his career.

In Game 4 of the 2005 National League Division Series against the Atlanta Braves, Berkman hit a grand slam in the 8th inning.

That brought the score to 6–5 in favor of the Braves, but the game was tied in the next inning on a two-out solo home run by Brad Ausmus.

[23] On September 13, 2006, Berkman became only the second switch hitter in Major League history to hit 40 or more homers in multiple seasons, with Mickey Mantle being the first.

However, despite the rest of the team picking up steam behind the likes of Roy Oswalt, Wandy Rodríguez, Hunter Pence, and Ty Wigginton's rebound second half, Berkman's individual performance dipped significantly, and by season's end, he batted .312, with 29 home runs (7 of which were right-handed, setting a new career high), 106 RBI, and an NL-leading 46 doubles.

[31] On July 31, 2010, Berkman was traded to the New York Yankees for minor leaguers Jimmy Paredes and Mark Melancon.

During the 2010 ALCS, Berkman served first base for the rest of the post-season when Mark Teixeira went on the disabled list due to a hamstring injury.

An MRI revealed that there was significant cartilage damage to both sides of the knee and a torn meniscus, requiring arthroscopic surgery.

He spent the 2012 postseason on the physically unable to perform list as the Cardinals won the 2012 NLDS against the Washington Nationals but lost the 2012 NLCS against the San Francisco Giants.

[39] Berkman, along with former teammate Roy Oswalt signed a one-day contract with Houston to officially retire as a member of the Astros on April 5, 2014.

"[41] With Berkman's retirement in 2014, however, it is at his alma mater, Rice, that the former Owl has spent time assisting young hitters.

[54] In April 2012, Forbes named Berkman one of the 30 most generous celebrities as he and his wife had donated $2,412,245 to a foundation they established called To The Lord's Fund.

[56] Berkman filmed an advertisement against the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance, which was aimed at protecting LGBT individuals from discrimination.

The ordinance sought to ban discrimination on a variety of levels, including sex, race, color, ethnicity and other classifications.

Despite the wording of the ordinance, HERO's opponents including Berkman, instead honed in on the sexual orientation and gender identity protections.

Berkman took to the airwaves to repeat a popular stance of HERO’s critics, arguing that the law would allow male predators dressed in drag to enter women’s bathrooms, rather than open public accommodations to transgender people.

The controversy flared when Houston Mayor Annise Parker stated of Berkman, "That someone who made his name in our city would inject himself into this debate by taking to the airwaves to discredit an effort to ban discrimination in all forms did upset me.

Before the 2006 season started, in an interview with a local Houston sports radio station, Lance joked "I'm more like a puma so I'm not sure why people call me Fat Elvis.

"[60] The show's hosts, John Granato and Lance Zierlein, ran with the moniker and Houston fans and media latched onto "The Big Puma."