1973 Profile: Sparky Lyle

1973 AMERICAN LEAGUE ALL-STAR
"The Count. Lyle was the best any bullpen had to offer last year. His magnificent relief work made the Yankees contenders; he had 35 saves, an American League record, and nine wins in relief. The slider is his out pitch.
Sparky made such an impact coming to the rescue at Yankee Stadium in a pinstriped foreign car the management presented it to him at season's end. His trips to the mound were events, preceded by the sound of 'Pomp and Circumstance' - Sparky is wildly popular.
'I'm embarrassed to be called a star,' he said. 'I think I'm a little above average.' He finished third in the Most Valuable Player voting.
Born Albert W. Lyle, July 22, 1944 in Reynoldsville, Pennsylvania, Sparky was signed by the Orioles' organization and drafted by the Red Sox. He was traded to the Yankees for Danny Cater on the eve of the 1972 season. He's overwhelmed by the sudden recognition.
'I could get by a car tomorrow and not feel sorry,' he said.
Sparky chews tobacco rigorously."

-Joe Gergen, The Complete Handbook of Baseball, 1973 Edition

Relief Pitcher
New York Yankees
1972 - W-L: 9-5/ERA: 1.91/SO: 75
"A former Boston Red Sox journeyman, Lyle kept the Yankees in the American League [East] race with his magnificent relief pitching and was touted by some New York supporters as the most valuable player in the league. He had 35 saves in addition to nine victories.
Lyle shows no fear when he ambles to the mound in the clutch. He has total confidence in himself. He enjoys arguments over who is the best relief pitcher in the business because 'the publicity is good for all of us and we'll all make more money out of it.' "

-Cord Sportsfacts Baseball News 1973

"The most dramatic scene in New York last summer was Sparky Lyle thrusting himself out of the Datsun, tossing his warmup jacket to a batboy and striding gracefully to the mound to the strains of 'Pomp and Circumstance' and the roar of the crowd. Again and again the scene was reenacted, fans' joy mounting at every appearance as they cheered Sparky on to American League and Yankee records for relief pitching - an astounding 35 saves.
Darling of the press and public alike, Sparky remained the same Sparky Lyle who had left Reynoldsville, Pennsylvania ten years earlier to become a professional ballplayer instead of, say, a truck driver. He is full of business on the ball field and full of good spirit in the clubhouse. Sparky is clearly a man who gets the most out of life.
Less apparent facts of the total Sparky Lyle are his keen interest in photography and astronomy. It may seem difficult to relate Sparky glaring down from the mound, a huge wad of tobacco lumped in his cheek, with his beautifully consistent still life photographs. Or with the man spending long night hours at his telescope studying the stars. But all of this makes up the man who himself became a star of the first magnitude in 1972."

-The New York Yankees Official 1973 Yearbook

"Sparky brightened the Yankee scene and all of New York last year not only with his fine pitching record but also with his flair for the dramatic. His Datsun ride from the bullpen never failed to stir Yankee Stadium fans, who reacted enthusiastically to the organ's strains of Pomp and Circumstance, which became his theme song.
He appeared in a total of 59 games and finished 56, a new Yankee record. He saved 35 games, an AL record, won nine games and posted an ERA of 1.92. He won the Fireman of the Year award (top relief pitcher), amassing the largest number of points in the history of the award - 44. His total of wins and saves helped account for 44 victories, more than half the Yankee total for the season - 79. His heroics were among the key factors in sustaining the Yankees' race for the pennant until the last week of the season.
Sparky has been one of baseball's most reliable relief pitchers since he reached the major leagues in 1967, having compiled 98 saves in 5 1/2 years, averaging more than 50 appearances a season. He's also had an ERA of under 3.00 every season except for 1970.
Lyle is a rather rare breed of major leaguer. He never played high school baseball but was discovered and signed by the Baltimore Orioles when he struck out 31 men in a 17-inning sandlot game. The Red Sox drafted him from the Oriole organization after his first year as a professional."

-1973 New York Yankees Press/TV/Radio Guide