1979 len barker

the rangers traded len barker to the indians, along with bobby bonds, for larvell blanks and jim kern in october of 1978.  here is his 1979 o-pee-chee card:

here's the topps front:

now the o-pee-chee back:

and the topps back:

the indians decided to convert barker to a starter at the midpoint of the 1979 season.  he responded to the change, winning 6 decisions in a row (out of 8 straight starts) from late july to early september.  in 1980, he won 19 games and led the league in strikeouts (as well as wild pitches) and then in 1981, he threw a perfect game against the blue jays.

voici à vous, 1979 len barker!