Books and articles about Sparky Lyle

Lyle was one of the AL's best relievers for over a decade with the Red Sox and Yankees, leading the league in saves in 1972 and 1976, and in 1977 he became the first reliever ever to win the AL Cy Young Award. A wisecracking lefthander with a sizable paunch visible beneath his uniform, Lyle relied on a crackling slider almost exclusively in his heyday but also possessed a good fastball and a capable curve. He never started a ML game.

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Lyle pitched briefly for the Red Sox as a rookie in 1967, but not at all in the WS, and in 1968 he began to emerge as their bullpen ace, finishing 6-1 with 11 saves and a 2.74 ERA. He saved 17 games in 1969 (third in the AL), 20 in 1970, and 16 in 1971, but before the 1972 season he was traded to the rival Yankees even-up for first baseman Danny Cater, one of the worst trades in Red Sox history. Lyle immediately led the AL with 35 saves for the Yankees in 1972 while recording a 1.91 ERA, and he added 27 saves in 1973, a career-low 1.66 ERA in 1974, and an AL-best 23 saves in 1976 as the Yankees won the AL championship. In 1977 Lyle was even better, winning 13 games and saving 26 (second in the AL), then adding a win in the WS as the Yankees beat the Dodgers in six games and Lyle captured the AL Cy Young Award.

By the spring of 1978, however, Lyle was feuding with Yankee management, irked over owner George Steinbrenner's decision to sign relief aces Rich Gossage and Rawley Eastwick as free agents despite the presence of Lyle in the club's bullpen. Gossage became the club's closer, and after the season Lyle was traded to Texas in a 10-player-deal that brought Dave Righetti to the Bronx. By 1980, Lyle's slider had lost its snap, and he saved only 15 games in three final seasons with the Rangers, Phillies, and White Sox. He made his feelings about playing for the Yankees known in The Bronx Zoo, a book he wrote with Pete Golenbock in 1979. (SCL)

FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY » July 18, 1970: Milwaukee's Ted Kubiak has seven RBIs—on a single, double and grand slam—to lead the Brewers to a 10–5 win over the Red Sox at Fenway. The Red Sox blow a 5–1 lead, reached when Yaz hits a 3-run homer and Reggie Smith solos. Sparky Lyle (0-4) is the loser allowing one run. » September 11, 1970: Sonny Siebert and Jim Palmer each pitch 12 innings, but Eddie Watt gets the win for Baltimore by pitching the 13th in the 3–2 win. Boston's Sparky Lyle is the loser giving up hits to the two batters he faces. » March 22, 1972: In what ranks as one of New York's best trades, they send 1B/OF Danny Cater to the Red Sox for relief P Sparky Lyle. In seven years with the Yanks, Lyle will post a 57-40 record with 141 saves and a 2.41 ERA, win a Cy Young Award, and help the team to three World Series. The deal is completed when the Yanks toss in SS Mario Guerrero. » June 4, 1972: In game two of a doubleheader in Chicago, pinch hitter Dick Allen connects with two on and two out in the 9th inning and drives a Sparky Lyle pitch into the LF upper deck for a dramatic 5–4 White Sox win over the Yankees. » June 29, 1972: Jim Palmer's 8-game win streak ends as the Yanks chase the ace in the 2nd inning of a 4–3 win. Mel Stottlemyre, with relief from Sparky Lyle, gains his 7th win. » September 24, 1972: In the nitecap of a twinbill sweep over the Indians, Sparky Lyle sets an American League record and tying the ML mark by saving his 35th game. The Yanks win, 8–3, after gaining a 5–4 win in the opener when they score two unearned runs on five Indian errors in the 11th. Munson steals 2B by kicking the ball out of Frank Duffy's glove and going to 3B on the error. Duffy then boots a grounder and throws wildly for two more E's. Catcher Gerry Moses then picks up a squibber and fires over 1B and RF Del Unser's throw to the plate is over Moses' head for error 5. » September 27, 1972: Trailing 5–1, the Tigers score three in the 8th and two in the 9th to beat the Yankees and Sparky Lyle. » April 17, 1973: Earl Williams hits his first AL homer, a three-run shot off Sparky Lyle, to lead the Orioles to a 4–3 win over the Yankees. » April 8, 1976: At County Stadium, the Brewers open against the Yankees with Hank Aaron driving in three runs to back Jim Slaton's 4-hit 5–0 win. Five days later, Slaton will shut out the Tigers. Catfish Hunter is the loser, allowing five runs in seven innings. Later, both he and reliever Sparky Lyle, complain about the flatness of the mound. » April 7, 1977: Before 43,785 in the Opener at Yankee Stadium, Catfish Hunter holds the Brewers to five hits, three by Von Joshua, as the Yankees win 3–0. Von's last hit strikes Catfish in the instep and he leaves after seven innings of work. Sparky Lyle pitches the last two innings. Jim Wynn has two hits for New York, including a homer in his first Yankee at-bat. Reggie Jackson, in his first start as a Yankee, also has two hits and two runs, one on a suicide squeeze by Willie Randolph. » April 16, 1977: In Milwaukee, Cecil Cooper hits a 2-run shot in the bottom of the 9th off Sparky Lyle to tie the Yankees 3–3, then a Sal Bando triple and single by Steve Brye wins it. » May 17, 1977: Sparky Lyle, in relief of Ron Guidry, pitches six scoreless innings and the Yanks push across three runs in the 15th to defeat Oakland, 5–2. » June 24, 1977: Before 54,940 at Yankee Stadium, Roy White launches a dramatic 2-out 2-run home run in the bottom of the 9th to give the Yanks a 5–5 tie with the Red Sox, and New York scores in the next inning on Reggie Jackson bases-loaded single to win, 6–5. White's key hit comes after Bill Campbell retires the first two Yankees in the 9th and then Willie Randolph triples to bring up Murcer. Sparky Lyle picks up the win, handing Boston their 1st loss in eight games. With homers from Yaz, Hobson and George Scott, the Sox set a major-league record of 33 homers in 10 games. » August 31, 1977: Yankee reliever Sparky Lyle records his 3rd win in three games, all won on late-inning homers by New York. Graig Nettles' 2nd homer of the game gives New York a 5–4 win over Seattle. » October 8, 1977: Mickey Rivers collects four hits as the Yankees even the ALCS, beat the Royals, 6–4. Sparky Lyle contributes with 52/3 scoreless relief innings. » October 26, 1977: Sparky Lyle becomes the first American League reliever to win the Cy Young Award. Lyle led the league with 72 appearances, posting a 13-5 record with 26 saves and a 2.17 ERA. » June 27, 1978: New York's Graig Nettles belts a two-run homer in the 14th to give the Yankees a 6–4 win over the Red Sox. Dick Drago serves up Nettles' 13th homer of the year. Sparky Lyle (6–1) wins in relief. Ron Guidry (13-0) starts for NY and gives up eight hits in six innings. » November 10, 1978: In a major trade, the Yankees send former Cy Young Award winner Sparky Lyle, along with pitchers Larry McCall and Dave Rajsich, C Mike Heath and infielder Domingo Ramos to the Rangers. The Rangers pack up outfielders Juan Beniquez and Greg Jamison, and pitchers Dave Righetti, Mike Griffin and Paul Mirabella. Righetti, considered the top lefty prospect in the minors, will win Rookie of the Year honors in 1981. » April 13, 1985: Rollie Fingers records his 217th American League save in Milwaukee's 6–5 win over Texas, breaking Sparky Lyle's record. Fingers already holds the major-league record with 325. » June 29, 1987: In the first game—a 6-5 win, of Philadelphia's doubleheader sweep of Pittsburgh, Steve Bedrosian records his 12th consecutive save (in 12 appearances) to break the major-league record set by Sparky Lyle in 1975. The Quakers take the nitecap, 11–3.