Len Barker

Leonard Harold Barker III (born July 7, 1955 in Fort Knox, Kentucky), better known as Lenny Barker or Len Barker, is a former Major League Baseball right-handed starting pitcher. He played for the Texas Rangers (1976-78), Cleveland Indians (1979-83), Atlanta Braves (1983-85) and Milwaukee Brewers (1987).

Barker's most notable accomplishment as a major league pitcher occurred on May 15, 1981 as a member of the Cleveland Indians. On a cold, damp night in Cleveland, Barker pitched the tenth official perfect game in the history of major league baseball, defeating the Toronto Blue Jays, 3-0 [1]. Originally reported as the ninth perfect game in major league baseball history (the league later changed the criteria to move Barker's outing to the tenth perfect game), the final out of the game was a flyout caught by Rick Manning in short center field.

Barker's perfect outing, one of only seventeen in the history of Major League baseball, is the last no-hitter thrown by an Indian [2] and remains one of the fondest memories in Cleveland sports history. [3]

Later that season, Barker was selected for the 1981 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. The event was notable on two accounts: It was the first game played after a lengthy players' strike, [4], and it gave Barker the opportunity to pitch two scoreless innings in front of 72,086 fans in his home stadium.

Barker's best season statistically was in 1980, when he enjoyed career-high numbers in winning games (19) and strikeouts (181, top in the league).

Barker was a hard thrower who earlier in his career struggled with his control. On April 16, 1978, in a cool Fenway Park, Barker (then with the Texas Rangers) threw a pitch that sailed upward onto the screen above and behind the backstop.[5]

In the 1983 season, he was traded to the Atlanta Braves for Brett Butler, Brook Jacoby, Rick Behenna and $150,000 cash. The trade was initiated by the Braves who were in a tight race for first in the National League West Division with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Butler and Jacoby went on to become All-Stars, while Barker was released from the Braves in 1985 with three years remaining on his contract. He finished his career in 1987 with the Milwaukee Brewers.

Barker compiled a career 74-76 record with 975 strikeouts and a 4.34 ERA in 1323.7 innings.

After his playing career, Barker returned to the Cleveland area and founded a construction company with a business partner. Lenny Barker and his wife Eva are the parents of Jared, Blake and Jacob. The Barker family currently resides in Geauga County, near Cleveland, Ohio. [6]

See also

• Pitchers who have thrown a perfect game
• List of Major League Baseball strikeout champions

External links

• Career statistics from Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs
• Box score for Barker's perfect game
• Play-by-play account of Barker's perfect game