Sparky Lyle: where are they now? Former relief Ace: American League 1977 Cy Young Award winner recalls how Ted Williams gave him sound advice when breaking in with the Red Sox

Baseball Digest, Feb, 2003 by John Hartsock

SPARKY LYLE, WHO MADE A BIG name for himself in major league baseball as a relief pitcher, obtained the best piece of advice on pitching that he ever received from one of the game's greatest hitters.

Hall of Famer Ted Williams, the last major leaguer to hit .400 in a single season, was at the Boston Red Sox Winter Haven, Florida spring training site when Lyle broke into the majors with the Red Sox back in 1965.

"Ted Williams told me that I'd never make the big leagues unless I came up with a slider," Lyle recalled. "I had a pretty good curve, but I couldn't throw a fastball over the plate.

"Ted Williams told me the slider was the one pitch he couldn't hit," Lyle said. "Ted Williams knew a lot about baseball, and when you hear something from a guy like that, you're going to try to do something about it."

Lyle worked on developing the slider for the next two years, and became proficient enough with the pitch that the Red Sox summoned him to the major leagues in 1967.

"About two months after I perfected the slider in 1967, I was called up to the major leagues," Lyle said. "I threw the pitch so it would come straight at the batter until it got to within three feet of the plate. Then it would break down. It was an excellent pitch for double plays. I was a ground-ball pitcher, and that's how I got batters to hit ground balls."

A left-hander with a prominent handlebar mustache, Lyle used the slider to become one of the most dominant relief pitchers of his era during a 16-year career that included tours of duty with the Red Sox, New York Yankees, Texas Rangers, Philadelphia Phillies, and Chicago White Sox.

A three-time All-Star, Lyle became the first relief pitcher ever to win the Cy Young Award, helping the 1977 Yankees capture the World Championship in the process. He won 13 games that year, and saved 26 more.

Lyle led the American League in saves as a Yankee in both 1972, when he posted 35, and 1976, when he logged 23.

He pitched 1,390 innings during his career, recording 238 saves, 99 wins, and making 899 consecutive relief appearances.

"I never felt pressure," said Lyle, who was a member of three world championship teams--the 1977 and 1978 Yankees, and the 1980 Phillies. "I always felt that the pressure was on the hitter. He had to produce. I can't say that my temperament is good for everybody, but I kept things on an even keel.

"I took the wins the same way I took the losses," Lyle added. "I figured I was going to be out there every day, anyway."

Lyle, a native of Reynoldsville, Pennsylvania, has lived in New Jersey for the past two decades.

Now 58 years old, he has spent the past five seasons managing the Somerset County (N.J.) Patriots in the eight-team independent Atlantic League.

"It's our job to try to place as many guys as we can back in organizations, and it's exciting to build a team every year, especially since we have only eight days of spring training," Lyle said.

Lyle managed the Somerset County team--which plays its games in the 6,000-seat Commerce Bank Ballpark in Bridgeport, N.J.--to the Atlantic League title during the 2001 season.

The 2002 season wasn't nearly as kind.

"I thought we'd repeat, but we lost some front-line players," Lyle said. "We had no chance last season. (Overall), we've been doing very well here, though."

Lyle enjoys the Atlantic League and plans on returning as the Somerset County manager in 2003, unless a major league team makes him a better coaching offer.

Since his retirement from major league baseball in 1982, Lyle has also held interesting jobs doing television commercials for the Miller Lite Brewing Company and serving as a VIP host at the Claridge Casino in Atlantic City.

"I did commericals for about six or seven years, and I did some casino work with Mickey Mantle," Lyle said. "That was a great five years. Since 1988, I've just been keeping busy with personal appearances and golf."