| Position | Pitcher |
|---|---|
| Bats | Switch |
| Throws | Right |
| Birth date | September 7, 1944 |
| Birth place | Denver, Colorado, U.S. |
| Death date | October 4, 2009 (aged 65) |
| Death place | Aurora, Colorado, U.S. |
| Debutleague | MLB |
| Debutdate | April 8 |
| Debutyear | 1969 |
| Debutteam | Philadelphia Phillies |
| Finalleague | MLB |
| Finaldate | September 21 |
| Finalyear | 1974 |
| Finalteam | St. Louis Cardinals |
| Statleague | MLB |
| Stat1label | Win–loss record |
| Stat1value | 18–32 |
| Stat2label | Earned run average |
| Stat2value | 3.82 |
| Stat3label | Strikeouts |
| Stat3value | 317 |
| Teams |
Barry Lee Lersch (September 7, 1944 – October 4, 2009) was an American professional baseball pitcher who played Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies (–) and St. Louis Cardinals in (). A right-hander, he was born in Denver, Colorado and was listed as 6 feet (1.8 m) tall and 175 pounds (79 kg) and attended East High School in Denver, Colorado.
One of Lersch's great baseball moments was a pitching victory in 1964's annual Midnight Sun Game. He defeated the host Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks by a score of 10–5; 2,500 people were on hand to witness his win. The game ended at 2:34 a.m. local time and is in the record books as one of the latest-finishing games in amateur baseball history.
Lersch became a professional later that year when, in December 1964, he signed with the Phillies' organization. He made his MLB debut on April 8, 1969 when he surrendered a one-out two-run walk-off homer to Willie Smith in an eleven-inning Opening Day 7–6 loss to the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.[1] He spent four full years ( through ) in the big leagues. Lersch was primarily a relief pitcher in the majors; of his 169 career games pitched, 53 were starts. He posted an 18–32 won–lost record and a 3.82 career earned run average. All of his decisions (and all but one of his games played) came with struggling Phillies teams. In 5701⁄3 innings pitched, he allowed 536 hits and 172 bases on balls, and struck out 317. He was credited with nine complete games, six saves and one shutout, a two-hitter against the Montreal Expos on September 30, 1972, at Jarry Park.[2] He was traded along with Craig Robinson from the Phillies to the Braves for Ron Schueler at the Winter Meetings on December 3, 1973.[3]
Lersch died of a heart attack on October 4, 2009, in Aurora, Colorado. He was 65; his body was donated to medical science.
References
- ^ Langford, George. "Willie Smith clobbers a home run in the 11th inning to give the Chicago Cubs a home opener win," Chicago Tribune, Wednesday, April 9, 1969. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
- ^ Retrosheet box score: 1972-09-30
- ^ Durso, Joseph. "4 Trades Made at Meetings," The New York Times, Tuesday, December 4, 1973. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
External links
- Barry Lersch at Baseball Almanac