Originally up with the New York Yankees in 1974 and 1975, he only appeared in five games combined those two seasons before finding himself with the Padres at the start of the 1976 campaign.
After a very nice ’76 year that saw him go 5-3 with a 2.53 earned run average in 13 games and 81.2 innings as a starter, Sawyer came back in 1977 and pitched mainly out of the bullpen, appearing in 56 games, all but nine in relief.
He went 7-6 with a high 5.84 ERA in 111 innings pitched, and it would be his last as a Major League pitcher, finishing up with a 12-9 career record along with a 4.49 ERA in 74 games, 20 of them starts, and 200.1 innings pitched.