100 Greatest Phillies: 100 – Randy Lerch

Randy Lerch
Starting Pitcher
1975-1980, 1986

Career w/Phillies: 734.2 IP / 36-42 / 4.45 ERA / 339 K

Lerch lived up to his name, with a thread-thin 6’5”, 190 pound frame. Picked in the eighth round in the 1973 draft, Lerch made his big-league debut on Sept. 14, 1975, giving up five runs in an inning during a blowout win against the Cubs at Wrigley Field. His best season was 1979 — despite a losing record of 10-13, he recorded a stellar 3.74 ERA. But his most memorable moment? Probably hitting two home runs in the division clinching victory over the Pirates — his two shots proved to be the difference. He also knocked a homer in that wild 23-22 win in Wrigley in 1979. His .206 lifetime average remains a pretty stellar mark for pitchers.

Comment: At No. 100, Lerch gets in because he survived a couple poor years and played a supporting role during the Phils’ dynasty years. His numbers scream average — even a little under that, but he remains a memorable name in Phils’ lore.

Tim Malcolm

Tim first found the Phillies as a little infant at Veteran’s Stadium, cheering on a Juan Samuel game-winning home run in his very first game. With the pinstripes in his blood, he witnessed Terry Mulholland’s 1990 no-hitter, “Steve Carlton Night” at the Vet, game three of the 1993 World Series, countless games during the charmed 2008 championship season and various road excursions. Since November 2007 Tim’s been writing about them daily at Phillies Nation, becoming one of the world’s most popular Phillies scribes. You can catch him on Twitter and Facebook, as well. When he’s not talking about the Phils he’s relaxing with a St. Bernardus ABT 12 or one of his many favored brews.