:Randy Lerch

{{Infobox baseball biography

|name=Randy Lerch

|image=Randy Lerch Giants.jpg

|position=Pitcher

|bats=Left

|throws=Left

|birth_date={{Birth date and age|1954|10|9}}

|birth_place=Sacramento, California, U.S.

|debutleague = MLB

|debutdate=September 14

|debutyear=1975

|debutteam=Philadelphia Phillies

|finalleague = MLB

|finaldate=June 22

|finalyear=1986

|finalteam=Philadelphia Phillies

|statleague = MLB

|stat1label=Win–loss record

|stat1value=60–64

|stat2label=Earned run average

|stat2value=4.53

|stat3label=Strikeouts

|stat3value=507

|teams=

Philadelphia Phillies ({{mlby|1975}}–{{mlby|1980}})
Milwaukee Brewers ({{mlby|1981}}–{{mlby|1982}})
Montreal Expos ({{mlby|1982}}–{{mlby|1983}})
San Francisco Giants ({{mlby|1983}}–{{mlby|1984}})
Philadelphia Phillies ({{mlby|1986}})

}}

Randy Louis Lerch (born October 9, 1954), is an American former professional baseball pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies, Milwaukee Brewers, Montreal Expos, and San Francisco Giants, from {{baseball year|1975}} to {{baseball year|1986}}.{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/l/lerchra01.shtml|date=2019|title=Randy Lerch Stats|publisher= Sports Reference LLC|work=baseball-reference.com|accessdate=April 2, 2019}}

Early life

Lerch was born in Sacramento, California and attended Cordova High School in Rancho Cordova, California.{{Cite web | url=https://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/trades.php?p=lerchra01 | title=Randy Lerch Trades and Transactions by Baseball Almanac}}

Baseball career

Lerch was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in 1973 and debuted in the major leagues with the Phillies in September 1975.{{Cite web | url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/l/lerchra01.shtml | title=Randy Lerch Stats}} His first full season was 1977, and he was a mainstay in the Phillies' pitching rotation from 1977 until 1980, when he began pitching more in relief.

On September 30, 1978, Lerch hit two home runs in a 10–8 win that clinched the National League (NL) East Division championship for the Phillies.{{cite news|title=Pirates, Phillies Have Owned the Outgoing NL East Division|date=September 27, 1993|first=Gene|last=Collier|newspaper=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette|page=D1}}{{cite news|title=Loud Sighs From Phillies Precede Popping of Corks|date=October 1, 1978|first=Ken|last=Denlinger|newspaper=Washington Post|page=D2}}{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PIT/PIT197809300.shtml|title=September 30, 1978 Philadelphia Phillies at Pittsburgh Pirates Box Score and Play by Play|accessdate=January 23, 2010|work=Baseball-Reference|publisher=Sports Reference LLC}}

Lerch was part of the Phillies' 1980 World Series-winning team, although he led the league in losses that season with 14 and never appeared in the World Series. During the season, Lerch fell out of favor with the team's manager, Dallas Green, and voiced an interest in being traded.{{Cite web | url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1981/03/01/The-Philadelphia-Phillies-Sunday-traded-left-handed-pitcher-Randy-Lerch/7496352270800/ | title=The Philadelphia Phillies Sunday traded left-handed pitcher Randy Lerch}} As a result, Lerch was left off the Phillies' 1980 postseason roster.

Not long after the Phillies won the 1980 World Series, it was enmeshed in a scandal involving amphetamines that had been taken by several members of the team. In 1981, Lerch testified under oath that the Phillies' team physician for its Double-A affiliate in Reading, Pennsylvania had prescribed amphetamines for the organization's major league players,{{Cite web | url=https://www.si.com/vault/2002/06/03/324672/getting-amped-popping-amphetamines-or-other-stimulants-is-part-of-many-players-pregame-routine |title = Getting Amped Popping amphetamines or other stimulants is part of many players' pregame routine}} and that Lerch himself had received the pills.{{Cite web | url=https://www.inquirer.com/philly/hp/sports/20090225_Bill_Conlin__No_offense__but_here_are_the_Phillies_you_wouldn_t_want_to_marry_your_daughter.html | title=Bill Conlin: No offense, but here are the Phillies you wouldn't want to marry your daughter}}

Soon after testifying, Lerch was traded by the Phillies to the Milwaukee Brewers on March 1, 1981, for outfielder Dick Davis.

In August 1982, the Brewers sold Lerch to the Montreal Expos, who released Lerch in July 1983. He then was signed by the San Francisco Giants less than two weeks later. After the 1984 season, Lerch filed for free agency and was signed the following year by the Phillies. He pitched about a year for the Phillies before they released him in June 1986.

Lerch's career win–loss record was 60–64, with 507 strikeouts and a 4.53 earned run average (ERA).

Lerch was a better than average hitting pitcher, posting a .206 batting average (55-for-267) with 27 runs, 4 home runs, 23 RBI and 19 bases on balls. Defensively, he was better than average, recording a .966 fielding percentage which was 13 points higher than the league average at his position.

Lerch was inducted into the Reading Baseball Hall of Fame in Reading, Pennsylvania in 2000.{{Cite web | url=https://www.readingeagle.com/sports/article/reading-baseball-hall-of-fame |title = Reading Baseball Hall of Fame|date = 2014-03-30}}

Memoir

In 2019, Lerch published his 256-page autobiography, "God in the Bullpen," written with retired professional engineer Harold "Hal" Lerch, who despite their shared surname is no relation.[https://www.mtdemocrat.com/prospecting/many-life-lessons-are-learned-on-the-diamond/ Schultz, Wendy. "Many life lessons are learned on the diamond," Mountain Democrat (Placerville, CA), Wednesday, August 14, 2019.] Retrieved September 18, 2019[http://www.lewistownsentinel.com/news/religion/2019/08/whats-in-a-name-2/ Goodling, Tabitha. "What’s in a name?" The Sentinel (Lewistown, PA), Saturday, August 24, 2019.] Retrieved September 18, 2019 The book discusses Randy Lerch's battles with drug and alcohol addiction. Columnist Barry M. Bloom called it "perhaps the greatest tell-all baseball book since the late Jim Bouton wrote Ball Four in 1970."[https://www.forbes.com/sites/barrymbloom/2020/05/09/former-phillies-pitcher-randy-lerch-tells-all-about-his-addictions-in-new-book/?sh=32a3896117d1 Bloom, Barry M. "Former Phillies Pitcher Randy Lerch Tells All About His Addictions In New Book," Forbes (magazine), May 9, 2020.] Retrieved May 26, 2021