#311 Sparky Lyle - Boston Red Sox

Albert Walter Lyle
Boston Red Sox
Pitcher

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Left  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  182
Born:  July 22, 1944, Du Bois, PA
Signed:  Signed by the Baltimore Orioles as an amateur free agent, June 17, 1964
Major League Teams:  Boston Red Sox 1967-1971; New York Yankees 1972-1978; Texas Ranger 1979-1980; Philadelphia Phillies 1980-1982; Chicago White Sox 1982

World Series Appearances:  New York Yankees 1976-1977

Noted prankster Sparky Lyle pitched for 16 seasons in the majors, and he helped the Yankees reach the World Series in three straight seasons between 1976 and 1978.  Lyle came up with the Red Sox and appeared in 27 games for the eventual American League pennant winners in 1967.  He'd assume the closer's role with the club in 1968, and was frequently used by manager Dick Williams (#349).  Lyle had 17 saves in 71 appearances in 1969, and 20 saves in 63 appearances in 1970.  Dealt to the Yankees in March 1972, he'd soon cement his role as one of the best relievers in the game.  Lyle lead the league in saves with 35 in 1972 and 23 in 1976 and was an American League All-Star in 1973, 1976 and 1977.  Lyle's dominant performance in 1977, 13-5 with a 2.17 ERA and 26 saves, led to his being the first reliever to win the Cy Young Award.  Also throughout the 1977 season, Lyle and Rollie Fingers (#597) battled for the the all-time saves leader position, with Fingers going ahead for good on June 1st.

From the 1982 Phillies Yearbook

Lyle's time in New York came to an end with the arrival of Rich Gossage, and he was dealt to the Rangers following the 1978 World Series.  No longer a closer, but still an effective reliever, Lyle pitched for four more seasons with the Rangers, Phillies and White Sox.  He retired with a record of 99-76, a 2.88 ERA and 238 career saves, currently 40th all-time.  His 634 games finished are currently 14th all-time.  Lyle managed the Somerset Patriots in the independent Atlantic League between 1998 and 2012.

Building the Set / Card #280
September 23, 2023 from The Philly Show (Ed's Old Baseball Cards)
Given the massive haul of 193 cards acquired for our 1969 Topps set at the March Philly Show, I held off on adding more cards throughout the summer of 2023.  We weren't even going to go to the Philly Show last September, but our oldest son's baseball tournament was rained out, and we found ourselves with a free weekend.  I wrote about the show originally over at The Phillies Room.

I added just 15 cards to our set build at this show, all from the same dealer, Ed's Old Baseball Cards out of the Buffalo area.  Technically, the cards I bought were from Ed's associate, Gary, who explained he was along for the ride and brought a bunch of his vintage cards for sale.  I picked four needed star cards first, and Gary gave us a nice discount on the purchase, so we went back after securing a few autographs.  I picked 11 more commons and semi-stars from his modest selection of 1960s Topps cards for sale, including this Lyle card.  Posting for these 15 cards should take me a lot less longer than what it took to get through the box of cards brought home from the March 2023 Philly Show.

The Card / Red Sox Team Set / Accuracy Index +5

Lyle finally earned his rookie card after having been in the league since July 4, 1967.  The back of the card summarizes his career to date, coming up through the Orioles' system, along with his successful 1967 and 1968 campaigns.  The cartoon highlights his 31-strikeout performance in a 17-inning game while pitching for the DuBois Legion team in his home state of Pennsylvania during his junior year of high school.  Topps reprinted the card in its 2001 Topps Archives set.

Accuracy Index:  Lyle's rookie card earns a solid +5.

1969 Season
The closer for the Red Sox, Lyle was 8-3 with a 2.54 ERA in 71 games and 102 2/3 innings pitched.  He recorded 17 saves, which was third in the league behind the Twins' Ron Perranoski (#77), who had 31, and the Angels' Ken Tatum, who had 22.

Phillies Career
With the Phillies in a pennant race and in need of bullpen help, Lyle was acquired from the Rangers on September 13, 1980 for a player to be named later.  (Kevin Saucier was sent to the Rangers following the World Series.)  Lyle threw just 14 innings for the Phillies, in 10 appearances, but had a stellar 1.93 ERA and helped the club reach the postseason.  Because he had been acquired after September 1st, Lyle was ineligible for their NLCS or World Series rosters.  In the strike-shortened 1981 season, Lyle pitched in 48 games, going 9-6 with his ERA increasing to 4.44.  He'd pitch 2 1/3 shutout innings in three NLDS games against the Expos.

Lyle returned again to the Phillies' bullpen for the 1982 season, but he struggled most of the year, earning a 5.15 ERA in 34 appearances.  On August 21st, he was sold to the White Sox where he'd pitch in the final 11 games of his career.  Lyle pitched in 92 games overall for the Phillies, and was 12-9 with a 4.37 ERA and six saves.  He also gifted us with several of my favorite baseball cards from the early 1980s as a young Phillies collector.

1970 Topps #116

1977 Topps #598

1978 Topps #2

1981 Topps #719

1983 Topps #694

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1969 Topps #311
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (15):  1969-1983
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2016 Topps Archives 65th Anniversary Edition #A65-SL
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  279 in the Beckett online database as of 4/16/24.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database
The Phillies Room

#310 Tom Haller - Los Angeles Dodgers / #312 Lee Elia - Chicago Cubs