Editing Len Barker

{{short description|American baseball player (born 1955)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
|name=Len Barker
|image=Len Barker Cleveland Indians.jpg
|position=[[Pitcher]]
|bats=Right
|throws=Right
|birth_date={{Birth date and age|1955|7|7}}
|birth_place=[[Fort Knox, Kentucky]], U.S.
|death_date =
|debutleague = MLB
|debutdate=September 14
|debutyear=1976
|debutteam=Texas Rangers
|finalleague = MLB
|finaldate=September 26
|finalyear=1987
|finalteam=Milwaukee Brewers
|statleague = MLB
|stat1label=[[Win–loss record (pitching)|Win–loss record]]
|stat1value=74–76
|stat2label=[[Earned run average]]
|stat2value=4.34
|stat3label=[[Strikeout]]s
|stat3value=975
|teams=
* [[Texas Rangers (baseball)|Texas Rangers]] ({{mlby|1976}}–{{mlby|1978}})
* [[Cleveland Guardians|Cleveland Indians]] ({{mlby|1979}}–{{mlby|1983}})
* [[Atlanta Braves]] ({{mlby|1983}}–{{mlby|1985}})
* [[Milwaukee Brewers]] ({{mlby|1987}})
|highlights=
* [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star]] ([[1981 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1981]])
* 2× [[List of Major League Baseball annual strikeout leaders|AL strikeout leader]] (1980, 1981)
* Pitched a [[Len Barker's perfect game|perfect game]] on May 15, 1981
}}
'''Leonard Harold Barker III''' (born July 7, 1955)<ref name="perfect games">{{cite book|last=Coffey|first=Michael|title=27 Men Out: Baseball's Perfect Games|publisher=Atria Books|location=New York|year=2004|pages=[https://archive.org/details/27menoutbaseball00coff/page/141 141–156]|isbn=0-7434-4606-2|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/27menoutbaseball00coff/page/141}}</ref> is an American former [[Major League Baseball]] right-handed [[starting pitcher]]. He pitched the tenth [[Perfect game (baseball)|perfect game]] in baseball history. Barker pitched with the [[Texas Rangers (baseball)|Texas Rangers]] (1976–78), [[Cleveland Guardians|Cleveland Indians]] (1979–83), [[Atlanta Braves]] (1983–85) and [[Milwaukee Brewers]] (1987). During an 11-year baseball career, Barker compiled 74 [[win (baseball)|wins]], 975 [[strikeout]]s, and a 4.34 [[earned run average]].

==Playing career==

===Early career===
Barker was a hard thrower, who early in his career struggled with his control. On April 16, 1978, at [[Fenway Park]], Barker (then with the [[1978 Texas Rangers season|Texas Rangers]]) threw a pitch that sailed upward onto the screen above and behind the backstop.  Partly due to this, he did not make the major leagues until 1979.<ref name=Neyer>{{cite book |last=Neyer |first=Rob |author-link=Rob Neyer |title=Rob Neyer's Big Book of Baseball Blunders |year=2006 |publisher=Fireside |location=New York City |isbn=0-7432-8491-7 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/robneyersbigbook0000neye }}</ref>

Barker was traded, along with [[Bobby Bonds]], from the Rangers to the Indians for [[Jim Kern]] and [[Larvell Blanks]] on October 3, 1978.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2706&dat=19781004&id=wQBKAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Ph4NAAAAIBAJ&pg=1268,1917237 "Bonds dealt again," ''The Associated Press'' (AP), Wednesday, October 4, 1978.] Retrieved June 7, 2020</ref> His best season statistically was {{mlby|1980}}, when he enjoyed career-highs in [[Win (baseball statistics)|wins]] (19) and [[strikeout]]s (181, best in the American League).

===1981 perfect game===
{{main|Len Barker's perfect game}}
Barker's most notable accomplishment occurred on May 15, 1981, as a member of the [[1981 Cleveland Indians season|Cleveland Indians]].<ref name="perfect games"/> On a cold, damp night in Cleveland, Barker pitched the tenth official perfect game in baseball history, defeating the [[1981 Toronto Blue Jays season|Toronto Blue Jays]], 3–0 (the game was originally reported as the ninth perfect game in major league baseball history<ref name="Pitcher Perfect">{{cite web|url=http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/baseballs_best/mlb_bb_gamepage.jsp?story_page=bb_81reg_051581_torcle|title=Pitcher Perfect: Len Barker tosses MLB's ninth perfect game|date=May 15, 1981|work=mlb.com|access-date=2009-06-04}}</ref> until the league later changed the criteria for recognizing a perfect game). The final out of the game was a fly ball caught by [[Rick Manning]] in short center field. Barker's pitching was so consistent on that night that he never reached ball three against any Blue Jays hitter.

Barker's perfect outing, one of only twenty four in the history of Major League Baseball, is also the most recent no-hitter thrown by an Indians pitcher.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/gallery/featured/GAL1137746/25/26/index.htm |title=Most Recent No-Hitters by Team |work=SI Vault |access-date=2009-06-04 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081202041030/http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/gallery/featured/GAL1137746/25/26/index.htm |archive-date=2008-12-02 }}</ref> "I run into people almost every day who want to talk about it", Barker said in 2006.  "Everyone says, 'You're probably tired of talking about it.' I say, 'No, it's something to be proud of.' It's a special thing."<ref>{{cite news| url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/0805/mlb.no.hitters.by.team/content.26.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080526225323/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/0805/mlb.no.hitters.by.team/content.26.html | url-status=dead | archive-date=May 26, 2008 | work=CNN | title=Brewers | access-date=May 7, 2010}}</ref>

Barker was selected for the [[1981 Major League Baseball All-Star Game]], held in [[Cleveland Municipal Stadium|Cleveland]] on August 9. It was the first game played after a lengthy [[1981 Major League Baseball strike|players' strike]], and Barker pitched two scoreless innings before 72,086 fans in his home stadium.

===Later career===
During the 1983 season, Barker was traded to the [[1983 Atlanta Braves season|Atlanta Braves]] for [[Brett Butler (baseball)|Brett Butler]], [[Brook Jacoby]], [[Rick Behenna]] and $150,000 cash.<ref name="perfect games"/> The trade was initiated by the Braves, who were in a tight race for first in the [[National League West]] Division with the [[1983 Los Angeles Dodgers season|Los Angeles Dodgers]]. Barker pitched reasonably well down the stretch, notching a 3.82 ERA despite only going 1–3 in his six starts after the trade.  After the season, the Braves signed Barker to one of the richest contracts for a pitcher in baseball history to that time, $4 million over five years.<ref name=Neyer/>

Barker did not pitch as well after the new contract was signed. In [[1984 Atlanta Braves season|1984]], he went 7–8 with a 3.85 ERA before missing the last two months of the season with an elbow injury. [[1985 Atlanta Braves season|The next year]], Barker's ERA ballooned to 6.35, and he only managed a 2–9 record. He was released at the end of 1986 spring training with three years remaining on his contract. He signed with the [[Montreal Expos]] a few weeks later and spent the season with their top affiliate, the [[Indianapolis Indians]]. The Expos released him during 1987 spring training, and he finished his career with the [[1987 Milwaukee Brewers season|Milwaukee Brewers]]. Meanwhile, Butler and Jacoby went on to become All-Stars.

==Post-playing==
After his playing career, Barker returned to the Cleveland area and founded a construction company with a business partner.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.perfectpitchconstruction.com/lenny/ |title=About Lenny Barker |work=Perfect Pitch Construction, LLC. |access-date=2009-06-04 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081202053407/http://www.perfectpitchconstruction.com/lenny/ |archive-date=December 2, 2008 }}</ref> He and his wife Eva are the parents of Jared, Blake, and Jacob.  He also has three children, Carly, Troy and Lyle with his previous wife,  Bonnie. The Barker family currently resides in [[Geauga County, Ohio|Geauga County]], east of Cleveland. Barker served as the head coach for [[NCAA Division II|Division II]] [[Notre Dame College]] in [[South Euclid, Ohio|South Euclid]] until the school's closure in 2024.<ref name="p354">{{cite web | last=Manoloff | first=Dennis | title=Former Indians DH Travis Hafner joins Notre Dame College baseball staff | website=cleveland | date=2014-01-15 | url=https://www.cleveland.com/tribe/2014/01/former_indians_dh_travis_hafne.html | access-date=2025-02-01}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Baseball}}
* [[List of Major League Baseball perfect games]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball annual strikeout leaders]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{baseballstats|mlb=110566|espn=|br=b/barkele01|fangraphs=1000546|brm=barker001leo|retro=B/Pbarkl001}}
*[https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CLE/CLE198105150.shtml Box score for Barker's perfect game]
*[http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/B05150CLE1981.htm Play-by-play account of Barker's perfect game]


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{{succession box | before = [[Catfish Hunter]] | title = [[List of Major League Baseball perfect games|Perfect game pitcher]] | years = [[Len Barker's perfect game|May 15, 1981]] | after = [[Mike Witt]]}}
{{Succession box|title=[[List of Major League Baseball no-hitters|No-hitter pitcher]] |before=[[Charlie Lea]]| years= May 15, 1981 |after=[[Nolan Ryan]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Atlanta Braves Opening Day starting pitchers}}
{{MLB perfect games}}
{{AL strikeout champions}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barker, Len}}
[[Category:1955 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American League All-Stars]]
[[Category:American League strikeout champions]]
[[Category:Atlanta Braves players]]
[[Category:Baseball players from Kentucky]]
[[Category:Cleveland Indians players]]
[[Category:Denver Zephyrs players]]
[[Category:Gastonia Rangers players]]
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[[Category:Indianapolis Indians players]]
[[Category:Leones del Caracas players]]
[[Category:American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball pitchers]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball pitchers who have pitched a perfect game]]
[[Category:Milwaukee Brewers players]]
[[Category:Pittsfield Rangers players]]
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