Mike Lieberthal

Phillies catcher, Gold Glove winner, two-time All Star.

Michael Scott Lieberthal (born January 18, 1972) is an American former Major League Baseball catcher. He batted and threw right-handed.

Quick Facts

Position: Catcher
Bats: Right
Born: 18 January 1972
Birthplace: Glendale, California, U.S.
Debut league: MLB
Debut date: June 30
Debut year: 1994
Debut team: Philadelphia Phillies

Lore & Background

In a 14-year career, Lieberthal played for the Philadelphia Phillies and the Los Angeles Dodgers. He compiled a career batting average of .274, with 150 home runs and 610 runs batted in. During his career he won the Gold Glove Award, and was twice an All Star. His 1999 season (.300, 31 home runs, 96 RBIs, Gold Glove Award) was arguably the best ever of any Phillies catcher, and Lieberthal caught more games in his career than any other Phillies catcher (1,139). His career 149 home runs at catcher were the most in team history. Lieberthal had a .310 batting average, a .381 on-base percentage, and .510 slugging percentage lifetime against left-handed pitching. Lieberthal was inducted into the Philadelphia Phillies Wall of Fame on August 10, 2012.

Reader's Guide

Lieberthal was born in Glendale, California, and is Jewish. He was an All-American catcher at Westlake High School, and graduated in 1990. He hit four home runs in a single game for his high school. He set career records for runs (79), hits (105), and home runs (30). He was drafted at 17 years of age by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 1st round (3rd overall) of the 1990 Major League Baseball draft. He made his major league debut on June 30, 1994. He caught Kevin Millwood's no-hitter on April 27, 2003. He signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Dodgers on December 6, 2006. After playing in only 38 games in 2007 and hitting .234, his option was not picked up. He announced his retirement in January 2008. On April 28, 2008, he announced he would sign a one-day contract with the Phillies on June 1, throw out the ceremonial first pitch and then officially retire.

Did You Know?

Lieberthal hit four home runs in a single high school game: a solo, a 2-run, a 3-run, and a grand slam.
He was the first Phillie to bat .300 and hit 30 home runs since Greg Luzinski in 1977.
Lieberthal appeared in the motion picture Summer Catch in 2001 alongside teammates Doug Glanville and Pat Burrell.
A bobblehead of Lieberthal is a regularly shown background prop in The Office.