A Yankees' Legend Speaks
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by user Harold Friend LouGehrig
March 20, 1978: A Yankees Legend Speaks
The following summarizes an article from the March 20, 1978 New York Times.
After his appearance in an exhibition game, Sparky Lyle reiterated his desire to be traded. "I haven't resigned myself to playing here this year," Lyle said after pitching one inning in the Yankees' 5-4 loss to the Red Sox. Lyle wants to be traded because he fears he will not get enough work now that the defending World Champions have added Goose Gossage and Rawley Eastwick, but has told reporters that he would be willing to accept more money in lieu of being traded. Lyle threatened to boycott exhibition games, saying that he might never be ready to pitch this spring, but adding that a sit down with owner George Steinbrenner might be a major factor in clearing the air. Steinbrenner, who was at the game, was instrumental in the Yankees obtaining Gossage and Eastwick. The fact that the Lyle won the American League Cy Young Award last season and was a major reason that the Yankees became World Champions did not deter the Yankees' owner from adding two top relief pitchers. It is interesting that the fact Lyle is left handed and the others are righties is rarely mentioned.
COMMENTS:
The key is that Lyle had won the Cy Young Award in 1977. He appeared in 72 games, pitched 137 innings, and had a 13-5 record with a 2.17 ERA and 26 saves, yet Steinbrenner was not satisfied. Twenty years later, after the 1998 World Championship season, Steinbrenner traded another left handed pitcher who had had an outstanding season, when he and Brian Cashman sent David Wells to Toronto for Roger Clemens. Wells was 18-4 with a 3.49 ERA in 1998. Roger Clemens NEVER had an ERA as low as 3.49 as a Yankee. While Wells cried when he learned he had been traded, Lyle was more realistic, saying that he would accept more money if he WEREN'T traded. Lyle enjoyed being with the Yankees, but he understood, unlike the majority of today's fans, that baseball is a business and that the owners' loyalty is to the bottom line.
Steinbrenner cannot be criticized for obtaining Goose Gossage, but after his 1977 season, Lyle did not get the respect to had earned. In the 1977 playoffs, with Kansas City ahead two games to one and the Yankees leading in the game 5-4, Lyle relieved Dick Tidrow in the FOURTH inning to face George Brett, whom he retired. Lyle finished the game, pitching 5 1/3 innings of scoreless relief in a 6-4 Yankees win. The following day, in Game 5, which was the deciding game, Lyle came into the game in the eighth inning, pitched 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief and was the winning pitcher.
In 1978, Lyle appeared in 59 games and pitched 111 2/3 innings for the Yankees, but it was Gossage who was used in critical situations. Lyle was not nearly as effective as he had been the year before and when the pennant was on the line in the playoff game against the Red Sox, there was no thought of bringing in the left handed Lyle to face the left handed Yastrzemski with runners on first and second, two outs, and the Yankees ahead by a run. Gossage got Yaz to hit a foul pop up to third baseman Graig Nettles and the Yankees won the playoff game that allowed them to get into the playoffs. It is fascinating that that Yankees had to win a playoff game to get into the playoffs.
References:
Chass, Murray. "Lyle and Lee Pitch and Speak." The New York Times. 20 March 1978, p.C3.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/
