Blond, fun-loving Lersch featured a good curve with excellent control and added a knuckleball late in his career. In 1971, he suffered through a personal 11-game losing streak, one less than the Phillie record.
In December 1973, Lersch was mistakenly acquired by Atlanta in a deal that sent Ron Schueler to Philadelphia. Braves executives had confused Lersch with up-and-coming southpaw Randy Lerch. "The way they found out was they called him and said, 'Lefty, we're glad to have you,'" Schueler later recalled. "He said, 'Uh, I'm a righty.'" (BC/JGR)
Barry Lersch
