A jack-of-all-trades, Lamp was an effective starter early in his career, led the
White Sox in saves in 1983, and has pitched middle-relief almost exclusively since
1985. He joined the Cubs' rotation in 1978 and pitched a one-hitter against San Diego
June 9, finishing 7-15 with a 3.29 ERA. After a rocky 1980, in 1981 Lamp was traded
to the White Sox; his 2.41 ERA was third-best in the AL. He also settled for a second
one-hitter when
Robin Yount led off the ninth inning with a double on August 25.
Lamp was pitching in relief as well as starting for the White Sox, and in 1983 he
saved 15 games for the AL West champions, then signed with the Blue Jays. At the
time, the White Sox were entitled to compensation for losing a Type A free agent,
and they selected the Mets'
Tom Seaver from the compensation pool in a move that
stunned New York fans. In 1985 Lamp went 11-0 in relief for the Blue Jays, but his
ERA swelled to 5.05 in 1986. He made the Red Sox' pitching staff as a non-roster
invitee to spring training in 1988.
(SCL)