19. Sparky Lyle, LHP
Career Stats: 899 G, 238 SV, 1,390 1/3 IP, 2.88 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 8.3 BB%, 15.07 K%
A guy who spiked the Red Sox/Yankees debate in the early 1970s when he went from the Red Sox to the Yankees in a 1972 spring training trade. He would later be part of the deal that brought Dave Righetti to the Bronx from Texas.
Lyle was known for his slider, a pitch he attributed to Ted Williams, who taught it to him before the 1966 season. It became part of a four-pitch repertoire that allowed Lyle to be dominant in the back of the bullpen in spite of not having a blazing fastball like many relievers do.
While his demeanor on the mound was all business, in the clubhouse, bullpen, and dugout, Lyle was a notorious prankster that had a reputation for leaving his butt print in birthday cakes left in the clubhouse for his teammates during games. He was also considered a “master” of the “hot foot”.
Lyle became known for his tales of the 1970s Yankees in his book titled The Bronx Zoo, and he’s remarked multiple times about how his book has been received significantly different in the Yankees community than Jim Bouton‘s Ball Four, which nearly kept Bouton out of the Yankee culture for three decades.
Over 16 seasons in the major leagues, Lyle made 3 All-Star Games, won the 1977 AL Cy Young, and appeared in MVP voting four different times. He made four Hall of Fame ballots, but his highest support was in his first year of eligibility, 1988, when he received 13.1% of the vote.
Next: 18. Q