Barry Lersch

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1969-1974)

Barry Lersch was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1969 to 1974 for the Philadelphia Phillies and the St. Louis Cardinals, a span of 6 seasons. Across 169 career appearances, he went 18-32 with a 3.82 ERA and 317 strikeouts.

W (Wins):
Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
ERA (Earned Run Average):
Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.
SO (Strikeouts):
For a batter, times retired on a third strike; for a pitcher, batters retired on a third strike.
WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched):
Baserunners allowed per inning: (BB + H) ÷ IP. Under 1.00 is elite.

Data updated

W–L 18–32
ERA 3.82
WHIP 1.24
SO 317
Pitcher PIV -4526.9
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
B / R
Height / Weight
6'0" / 175 lb
Born
9/7/1944 in Denver, CO, USA
Died
10/4/2009 in Aurora, CO, USA
MLB Debut
1969-04-08
Last Game
1974-09-21

Full name: Barry Lee Lersch

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Career Pitching Statistics

Barry Lersch — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
18 32 169 53 9 1 6 570.1 536 242 70 172 317 3.82 -4526.9

Career ERA 3.82 vs. league average 3.60 across their career seasons — 6.0% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Barry Lersch — Season-by-Season Pitching
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1969 PHI NL 0 3 10 0 0 0 2 17.2 20 14 10 13 7.13 3.61 (-97%) -1637.3
1970 PHI NL 6 3 42 11 3 0 3 138.0 119 50 47 92 3.26 3.89 (+16%) -221.2
1971 PHI NL 5 14 38 30 3 0 0 214.1 203 90 50 113 3.78 3.47 (-9%) -1972.5
1972 PHI NL 4 6 36 8 3 1 0 100.2 86 34 33 48 3.04 3.26 (+7%) -723.1
1973 PHI NL 3 6 42 4 0 0 1 98.1 105 48 27 51 4.39 3.75 (-17%) 27.2
1974 SLN NL 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1.1 3 6 5 0 40.50 — 0.0
Career · 6 seasons 18 32 169 53 9 1 6 570.1 536 242 172 317 3.82 — -4,527

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Career Batting Statistics

Barry Lersch — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
177 133 9 15 1 0 0 3 0 11 56 .113 .185 .120 .305 -274

Career AVG .113 vs. league average .252 across their career seasons — 55.2% below league average.

Career OBP .185 vs. league average .321 across their career seasons — 42.3% below league average.

Career SLG .120 vs. league average .370 across their career seasons — 67.5% below league average.

Career OPS .305 vs. league average .691 across their career seasons — 55.8% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Barry Lersch — Season-by-Season Batting
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1969 PHI NL 10 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 .000 — — — — 0.0
1970 PHI NL 42 31 3 2 0 0 0 1 0 2 11 .065 — — — — 0.0
1971 PHI NL 44 59 4 10 1 0 0 1 0 7 23 .169 .249 (-32%) .316 (-15%) .365 (-49%) .682 (-33%) -273.6
1972 PHI NL 37 23 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 11 .000 — — — — 0.0
1973 PHI NL 43 17 1 3 0 0 0 1 0 1 9 .176 — — — — 0.0
1974 SLN NL 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
Career · 6 seasons 177 133 9 15 1 0 0 3 0 11 56 .113 — — — — -274

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (346 games) →

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

Barry Lersch — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home90548400.074
Away877911103.139

Pitching — Home / Away

Barry Lersch — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home84273.1247109851623.59
Away85297.0289133871554.03

Last 10 Games — Batting

Barry Lersch — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1974-09-21 STLCHCL 000000000
1973-09-30 PHISTLL 000000000
1973-09-27 PHIPITW 301000001
1973-09-22 PHICHCL 100000000
1973-09-18 PHICHCW 000000000
1973-09-15 PHIWSNL 000000000
1973-09-09 PHIPITW 000000000
1973-09-04 PHINYNL 000000000
1973-09-02 PHIWSNL 000000000
1973-09-01 PHIWSNL 000000000

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Barry Lersch — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1974-09-21 STLCHC — 1.1366501
1973-09-30 PHISTL — 0.0200000
1973-09-27 PHIPIT — 8.0422021
1973-09-22 PHICHC — 5.0422210
1973-09-18 PHICHC W 1.0200110
1973-09-15 PHIWSN — 2.0100010
1973-09-09 PHIPIT — 1.0100000
1973-09-04 PHINYN — 1.0000000
1973-09-02 PHIWSN — 3.0644020
1973-09-01 PHIWSN — 2.0100120

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Barry Lersch — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 169 53 34 82 7 7

Season-by-Season Fielding

Barry Lersch — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1969 PHI P 10 0 2 6 0 0
1970 PHI P 42 11 6 18 2 3
1971 PHI P 38 30 14 30 2 2
1972 PHI P 36 8 7 15 2 0
1973 PHI P 42 4 5 13 1 2
1974 SLN P 1 0 0 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Barry Lersch — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Pitcher 169

College History

Barry Lersch — College History
School Name City State Years Attended
Mesa State College Grand Junction CO 1964

Most Similar Players

Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.

Career Spans

Barry Lersch (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Steve Ontiveros
    34-31, 3.67 ERA
  2. 92
    Don Gross
    20-22, 3.73 ERA
  3. 88
    Dennis Ribant
    24-29, 3.87 ERA
  4. 88
    Dave Hillman
    21-37, 3.87 ERA
  5. 86
    Jim Willoughby
    26-36, 3.79 ERA
  6. 86
    Cris Carpenter
    27-22, 3.91 ERA

Barry Lersch: the record in brief

The profile opens with Barry Lersch's first major league game on April 8, 1969; the last one listed came on September 21, 1974. Lersch played for the Philadelphia Phillies (1969 to 1973) and the St. Louis Cardinals (1974). Born on September 7, 1944, in Denver, CO, USA, Lersch is listed as a pitcher and switch-hit and threw right-handed. The bio gives 6'0" and 175 pounds. The bio records the death on October 4, 2009, in Aurora, CO, USA. The bio lists the given name Barry Lee.

Across 169 games (53 starts), Lersch recorded 18 wins against 32 losses with a 3.82 ERA. Lersch had 317 strikeouts. The league ERA over Lersch's seasons was 3.60, so the 3.82 figure ran 6.0% worse than average. No season topped the 6 wins of 1970. The strikeout high was 113 in 1971. In 1970, one of the busiest seasons, Lersch posted a 3.26 ERA; the league figure that year was 3.89.

Frequently Asked Questions about Barry Lersch

What years did Barry Lersch play?
Barry Lersch played in Major League Baseball from 1969 to 1974.
Was Barry Lersch a pitcher?
Yes. Barry Lersch pitched in the major leagues, recording 18 wins and 317 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Barry Lersch hit?
Barry Lersch hit 0 career home runs with 15 hits.
What teams did Barry Lersch play for?
Barry Lersch played for 2 teams: the Philadelphia Phillies (1969–1973) and the St. Louis Cardinals (1974).
What were Barry Lersch's career stats?
In 169 games, Barry Lersch went 18-32 with a 3.82 ERA, 317 strikeouts, 570.1 innings pitched, and 6 saves.
What position did Barry Lersch play?
Barry Lersch played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Barry Lersch and how much did he weigh?
Barry Lersch was listed at 6 feet and 175 pounds.
What was Barry Lersch's career ERA?
Barry Lersch finished with a 3.82 career ERA, going 18-32 with 317 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Barry Lersch have?
Barry Lersch recorded 317 career strikeouts.
Is Barry Lersch in the Hall of Fame?
No. Barry Lersch has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.