Barker pitched four years after leaving the Tribe, retiring at the end of the 1987 season. Barker is now 66. Dave Garcia replaced left fielder Joe Charboneau with rookie Larry Littleton in the bottom of the ninth inning. It was the last no-hitter in the stadiums history.). I mean the ball was breaking so much Toronto kept asking to see the ball.10, The Blue Jays were accepting and complimentary in defeat. 9 TSN broadcast of the perfect game, accessed via YouTube.com. Robert E. Dorksen, The Plain Dealer. Barker serves as the head coach for Division II Notre Dame College in South Euclid. He scored on a single by George Bell to make the final score 4-1. On April 16, 1978, at Fenway Park, Barker (then with the Texas Rangers) threw a pitch that sailed upward onto the screen above and behind the backstop. That didnt pan out for them, and they released him before the 1986 season. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Our team has a 3.2 grade point average over the last few years, he said. He had a form of the early Tommy John elbow reconstruction. Kuiper returned to broadcast for the Giants in 1994, where he has remained since. 43, May 15, 1981. He was 31. Leonard Harold Barker III (born July 7, 1955 in Fort Knox, Kentucky), [1] better known as Lenny Barker or Len Barker, is a former Major League Baseball right-handed starting pitcher. He pitched the tenth perfect game in baseball history. He came into his start on May 15 against the Blue Jays in Cleveland on a roll, having allowed just two runs while striking out 23 over his previous three outings. "While labor discord hovered over baseball like a dark storm cloud there was sunny optimism that 1981 would be the year of the Indians," viewers hear. Barker was selected for the 1981 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, held in Cleveland on August 9. Home. If you have to lose Im glad to lose to a guy who pitched a perfect game to beat me, said Toronto starter Luis Leal. But my knees went. Now the bow needed to be drawn to check for further balancing of limbs. Len Barker had a 15-11 record and a 3.90 ERA in 1982.Plain Dealer Historical Collection. I knew that I had good stuff, maybe awesome stuff, said Barker. Blyleven struck out nine in the win. Indeed, the reigning AL strikeout king didnt fan a single batter until the fourth inning. He made out financially, however. Rick Manning made a superb running catch in center. Duncans prediction proved prophetic; Barker never went to a three-ball count on any batter. len barker perfect game announcerscriminal minds a family affair erikacriminal minds a family affair erika Indians play-by-play announcer Matt Underwood has captured the tone of Cleveland in 1981, when a baseball strike hit, the Indians hosted the All-Star Game, and Len Barker was perfect. The team boasted Joe Charboneau in his sophomore season after winning Rookie of the Year honors. Kuiper quips: "You had to kind of stay in shape. This was the second perfect game in the Cleveland teams history. Youre nervous. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED is a registered trademark of ABG-SI LLC. Still, the night made him a legend here. It was the first Indians no-hitter since Dennis Eckersley blanked California on May 30, 1977. Kuiper fielded five ground balls to contribute to the effort. In 1982, he was 15-11 with a 3.90 ERA, completing 10 of 33 starts covering 244 2/3 innings. Barker's pitching was so consistent that he never once reached ball three against any Blue Jay hitter! Last night we watched a broadcast from the 1981 season, as Clevelands Len Barker tossed a perfect game against a Toronto Blue Jays lineup that featured Boston Celtics GM Danny Ainge (they werent a very good offense), which also included some hilarious early 80s commercials. Baseball in Cleveland in the 1980s was a pretty dreary affair. He had won 19 games for a sixth place Indians team the year before and had led the American League in strikeouts. Barker was traded, along with Bobby Bonds, from the Rangers to the Indians for Jim Kern and Larvell Blanks on October 3, 1978. While an Indians broadcaster, he called three no-hitters: Dick Bosmans in 1974, Dennis Eckersleys in 1977, and Len Barkers perfect game in 1981 on Taits birthday! Phoenix, AZ 85004 Butler would go on to star for the Indians, Giants, and Dodgers over the course of a 17-year career that would not end until 1997. Cleveland hasnt had one since Len Barkers perfect game on May 15, 1981, against the Toronto Blue Jays. Harrah said, Youve got to dive in a situation like that. From 1983 through 1987 he posted a 4.88 ERA while going 20-34. He was so overwhelming, few balls were even hit hard. After the seven-week players' strike, Barker went on to make the All-Star team for the only time in his career and he again led the AL in strikeouts, although his 3.91 ERA amounted to just a 94 ERA+. So are they. Rick Manning led off the Cleveland first with a single. Hernndez was the third pitcher to throw a perfect game that season but still stands as the last man to complete the feat. Cleveland hasnt had a no-hitter since Len Barker threw a perfect game against Toronto on May 15, 1981. I think I missed about five games that season. Barker was a big league pitcher for 11 seasons. Ironically, 1981 was not his best season in the big leagues. No one wants to jinx you.. Sports. He pitched the tenth perfect game in baseball history. FOD Saying of the Day. The Indians defeated the Blue Jays 3-0, as Barker did not allow a baserunner. In 1978, yet a third memorable wild pitch landed halfway up the screen behind Fenway Parks home plate. He reached a two-ball count on only eight Toronto batters. He also had nicknames. I had total command. The game was. Catfish Hunter had been the last to record a perfect game, on May 8, 1968, against Minnesota. Len Barker being mobbed on the field, the Cleveland Indians win it, 3-0. In his play-by-play role, Underwood stays up on current players and teams, but in him is a historian who can create a deft snapshot of an era or a portrait of a player. 6-11-81 New York at White Sox (Last game before labor strike) WGN-TV broadcast. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Then Detroits Harold Castro lined a single with two outs in the eighth. His Cleveland Indians. Miller batting one spot behind Jos Ramrez hit a May 15, 1981 | 00:07:10. add-reel-4. The record for most game days between no-hitters is 535, connecting Bobby Burkes August 8, 1931 no-hitter for the Washington Senators to Paul Deans September 21, 1934 no-no for the St. Louis Cardinals. At the time he told the press when he was in the Instructional League a pitch slipped and he threw it over the press box. Meanwhile, Butler and Jacoby went on to become All-Stars. And then theres 1981. Barkers mother, Emogene McCurry, was listening to the game from her home in Trevose, Pennsylvania. Castro hit a ball sharply to shallow right on McKenzies 100th pitch. Close. ", Kuiper, now a San Francisco Giants broadcaster, offers some of the best insight, at one point saying, "I had one guy tell me that nobody is going to show up in September, and I told him 'I've been there when it didnt matter. The other challenge was a technical one: Only a few machines were available for Underwood to view the 3/4-inch tape. I was thinking about going up and pointing to center field to show Barker where I was going to hit the ball, said Whitt. Len Barker Autographed Signed 1979 Game Used Baseball Glove With PSA DNA COA DER. As Ohio Governor Mike DeWine noted in a tweet offering condolences to Tait's wife Jean and family, Tait called Len Barker's perfect game in While Tait was best known for doing NBA basketball and Major League Baseball, he also called TV broadcasts of football games at University of Mount Union, and called some high school basketball games on Elyria radio station WEOL. He has been at the school since 2010, when he started as pitching coach. Len Barker pitched the 10th perfect game in Major, Last edited on 20 February 2023, at 03:28, "Cleveland's Len Barker promised only a no-hitter", "Pitcher Perfect: Len Barker tosses MLB's ninth perfect game", "Thirty years later, Len Barker recalls perfect game", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Len_Barker%27s_perfect_game&oldid=1140450387, This page was last edited on 20 February 2023, at 03:28. That cloud hung over the ever-changing city, still defined then by its rust-belt image. The perfect game was almost over on the first play of the game when Torontos speedy infielder, Alfredo Griffin, hit a slow roller that died between the mound and second base. Barker had tossed the first perfect game since Oakland's Jim "Catfish'' Hunter on May 8, 1968. Shortstop Tom Veryzer charged, gloved, and threw to nip him at first base. I had a giant spur in the ligament. He was the radio voice from 1973 to "I run into people almost every day who want to talk about it," Barker said in 2006. He ended up only needing 103 pitches in the entire game. The Blue Jays were scuffling at the bottom of the division, and riding a 21-inning scoreless streak. Tait was made the team's Vice President of Broadcast Services in 1987. I had just picked up a writing award when someone came to our table and said, Its the seventh inning, Barkers got a no-hitter going. Due to a baseball strike, the Tribe played only 103 games and the pitching staff completed 33 of its starts. Barker's pitching was so consistent on that night that he never reached ball three against any Blue Jays hitter. I dont have a funny bone in my right arm, he said. The Indians havent completed a no-hitter since Len Barkers perfect game in 1981, the longest current drought in the majors. In the Blue Jays second, Damaso Garcia sent a line drive to left-center that Manning ran down and snared for the final out. (He took flak from Paul, but the policy would end.) Ernie Whitt pinch-hit for Buck Martinez. A perfect game for Lenny Barker! He was much more concerned about his brother coming in. Thank you, Joe, for the decades of joy you have brought Cleveland sports fans, the Indians said in a posting. Al Woods pinch-hit for Danny Ainge. He spent his first 8 years of his 13-year Major League career with the Indians (1975-83), where he won the Gold Glove in 1976. Follow Cleveland Guardians Team History, Regular Season Results, Postseason results, and more on ESPN.com The next year, Barker's ERA ballooned to 6.35, and he only managed a 29 record. He and his wife Eva are the parents of Jared, Blake, and Jacob. Hed spend that season as a minor leaguer in the Expos system. The Tribe also had Andre Thornton, Tom Veryzer, Ron Hassey and Jerry Dybzinski, a homegrown product from Cleveland State and Collinwood High School. That's when Indians starter Len Barker tossed a perfect game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Municipal Stadium. The heat was there as it always was, but Barkers curveball looked better than ever. It was the first perfect game in the majors since Catfish Hunter, then of the Oakland As, beat the Minnesota Twins on May 8, 1968. during the first inning of The club was no-hit by Baltimores John Means in its previous home game May 5. While he gave up five runs in six and a third in his first start of the season on April 15 he had tossed a seven-hit shutout against the Royals on April 22. 2016 NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field Qualifying Standards 2009-2016 NCAA Division I, II, and III Indoor and Outdoor Qualifying Standards 2013 UAA Outdoor Performance List (The University Athletic Association is made up of NCAA Division 3 schools . Dominating. Im still learning patience. That also meant it was the first perfect game against a lineup with a DH. Counting on a comeback, Atlanta signed him to a 5-year, $4.5 million deal. Close. Len Barker seals a perfect game. I had both of them replaced. Barker had to face nine "position" hitters. Terrys Talkin Tribe: Why DeMarlo over Sandy? Barker threw 103 pitches, all but 19 were strikes. And WUAB announcers Joe Tait and Bruce Drennan found themselves in the middle of history. Barker lives in Chardon and has been in Northeast Ohio for the last 22 years.