Lyle, "Sparky" (Albert W.)
Baseball
b. July 22, 1944, DuBois, PA
The left-handed Lyle, who threw a lively fastball and a nasty slider, joined the AL's Boston Red Sox as a relief pitcher in 1967. They won the pennant that year, but Lyle wasn't on the World Series roster.
After a 21-15 record with 64 saves over the next four seasons, Lyle was traded to the New York Yankees in 1972, when he led the AL with 35 saves. He led the league again with 23 in 1976 and won the league's Cy Young award the following season, when he had a 13-5 record with 26 saves in a league-leading 72 appearances.
Arm problems began to bother Lyle in 1978 and he went to the Texas Rangers the following year. The Rangers sent him to the Philadelphia Phillies during the 1980 season. He spent one full season there, then retired after splitting the 1982 season between Philadelphia and the Chicago White Sox.
Lyle appeared in 899 games without a start. He had a 99-76 record with 238 saves and a 2.88 ERA. He struck out 873 hitters and walked 481 in 1,390 1/3 innings.