Barry Lersch
Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:More footnotes Template:Short description Script error: No such module "Infobox".Template:Template otherScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". 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 (1969–1973) and St. Louis Cardinals in (1974). A right-hander, he was born in Denver, Colorado and was listed as Script error: No such module "convert". tall and Script error: No such module "convert". 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 (1970 through 1973) 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 570<templatestyles src="Fraction/styles.css" />1⁄3 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
<templatestyles src="Reflist/styles.css" />
- ↑ 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.
Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
External links
- Career statistics from Script error: No such module "String".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
- Barry Lersch at Baseball Almanac
- Pages with script errors
- 1944 births
- 2009 deaths
- American expatriate baseball players in Mexico
- Baseball players from Colorado
- Colorado Mesa Mavericks baseball players
- Eugene Emeralds players
- Florida Instructional League Phillies players
- Indios de Ciudad Juárez (minor league) players
- Leones del Caracas players
- American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela
- Major League Baseball pitchers
- Mesa Thunderbirds baseball players
- Mexican League baseball pitchers
- Oklahoma City 89ers players
- Philadelphia Phillies players
- Richmond Braves players
- St. Louis Cardinals players
- San Diego Padres (minor league) players
- Spartanburg Phillies players
- Tidewater Tides players
- East High School (Denver, Colorado) alumni
- 20th-century American sportsmen