Today on the blog, we have my pick for the American
League relief pitcher of the 1970s, a character if there ever was one,
Sparky Lyle:
Benefiting from a FULL decade in
the American league, I picked Sparky over guys like Rollie Fingers or
Mike Marshall, as he would help the New York Yankees win two
championships, take home a Cy Young Award in 1977, and finish top-3 for
an MVP Award in 1972 among many other accomplishments!
Coming over from the Boston Red Sox before the 1972 season, which is often cited as terribly one-sided in
favor of the Yankees, it paid instant dividends in the Bronx, as Lyle
posted a 9-5 record with a 1.92 earned run average and league-leading 35
saves in his first year there.
He'd even finish seventh in Cy Young voting, as well as third in Most Valuable Player voting during the post-season.
Five years later in 1977, Lyle would win the Cy Young Award, going
13-5 with a league-leading 23 saves and a 2.17 E.R.A., and he'd finish
fifth in M.V.P. Voting.
But with Rich "Goose" Gossage joining the Yanks the following year,
he'd find himself off to Texas by 1979, and retired from the game in
1982 after a handful of games with the White Sox.
All told Sparky would post 238 lifetime saves in 899 games, setting a record for career games all in relief.
I'm not sure, but it still may be the record actually. Have to check.
