1976 Topps #308 - Jim Barr

• Jim Barr pitched for the San Francisco Giants and the California Angels from 1971-1983. He was a member of two National Championship team at USC (1968 and 1970) and graduated from USC with a bachelor's degree in business administration. Barr was drafted five times by various teams before finally signing with the Giants in 1970. Jim was in the minors in 1970 and 1971 and made his major league debut on July 31, 1971. In 17 games Barr was 1-1 with a 3.57 ERA.

• In 1972 Barr was a reliever for the first part of the season and became a starter in late June. Jim was 8-10 with 2 saves and an ERA of 2.87 in 44 games (18 starts). Barr set a record in 1972 by retiring 41 batters in a row over two starts. The record stood until it was tied by Bobby Jenks in 2007 and broken by Mark Buerhle in 2009.

• From 1973-1977 Jim was a solid starter for the Giants. He won ten or more games in each of those seasons and was in the NL top ten in ERA three times. In 1973 Jim was 11-17 with a 3.81 ERA. Barr was 13-9 with an ERA of 2.74 in 1974 and 13-14 with a 3.06 ERA in 1975.

• Barr's best season was probably 1976. He was 15-12 with a 2.89 ERA for a team that was probably at its low point in franchise history. Jim's ERA jumped to 4.76 in 1977 and his record dropped to 12-16. Oddly Jim was only 8-11 in 1978, a season in which the Giants were contenders until late September. After the 1978 season Barr became a free agent and signed with the California Angels.

• In 1979 Barr was 10-12 with a 4.20 ERA in 36 games (25 starts). His last 1979 start was on September 20 and he wasn't used in the ALCS. Jim had arm problems in 1980 and missed about six weeks from late June to early August. He appeared in 24 games (7 starts) and was 1-4 with a 5.56 ERA. Jim was released by the Angels during spring training in 1981.

• On July 6, 1981 Barr signed with the Chicago White Sox and started ten games for their AAA Edmonton club before being released in early September. Jim tried out for the Giants in 1982 and made the team. He pitched for the Giants for two seasons. In 1982 Barr was 4-3 with 2 saves and a 3.29 ERA in 53 games (9 starts). In 1983 Jim appeared as a reliever in 53 games and was 5-3 with one save and a 3.98 ERA. Barr was released during spring training in 1984 and caught on with the Baltimore Orioles. He pitched for Baltimore's AAA Rochester club but wasn't brought up to the majors.

• Since his retirement Barr has enjoyed watching his two daughters play college and pro soccer. Jim has been the pitching coach for Sacramento State University since 1995. He enjoys coaching college instead of in the minors since there is less travel involved.

• Here is a chapter in the book Giants: Where Have You Gone? about Barr.
  
• Liked to face: Frank Taveras (.111 in 27 AB); Ted Sizemore (.132 in 38 AB); John Milner (.143 in 49 AB)
• Hated to face: Ken Griffey (.435 in 46 AB); Mike Tyson (.438 in 32 AB); Ron Cey (.413 in 75 AB)