March 22

⚾ Sparky Lyle Relief ACE March 22

March 22, 2025

TODAY ON THE DAILY HIGHLIGHT

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March 22, 1972, the New York Yankees make one of the best trades in franchise history. The Yankees acquire reliever Sparky Lyle from the Boston Red Sox for infielder Danny Cater.

Sparky spent the heart of his career, 1972 to 1978, with the Yankees. He appeared in the 1976 and 1977 World Series, with an overall ERA of 1.23. He was credited with the win in Game 1 of the 1977 Series. After Sparky won the Cy Young Award in 1977, the Yankees signed Rich Gossage as a free agent. Both relievers pitched well over 100 innings as the Yankees repeated as World Champions in 1978, but Gossage got most of the save opportunities. After the season, the Yankees sent Lyle to the Texas Rangers in a multi-player trade that brought over Dave Righetti, among others. In the tradition of Ball Four by Jim Bouton, Lyle authored (with Peter Golenbock) The Bronx Zoo, a 1979 tell-all of his trials and tribulations as a member of the Yankees in that 1978 season.

Lyle was a world-class prankster during his playing days. His trademark prank involved leaving an imprint of his rear end on birthday cakes prepared for his teammates, retiring from the practice after fearing that someone would one day prepare a cake with a needle baked inside that he'd sit on. He was also one of the premier practitioners of the hotfoot.

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Game of the DayOctober 3, 1951 Brooklyn Dodgers vs New York Giants

The Giants win the pennant!

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Did you know?

March 22, 1962 -- A former member of the New York Giants requesting anonymity reveals that Bobby Thomson's home run in the 1951 playoffs against the Brooklyn Dodgers was helped by a sign-stealing clubhouse spy. The spying is claimed to have gone on for the last three months of the season. Thomson, along with former Giants manager Leo Durocher, vehemently denies that he received help, but a source close to the team confirms the spy operation.

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Don Larsen(1956), Sandy Koufax(1965), Bob Gibson (64,67 and 68), Mantle, DiMaggio, Williams (1941), Clemente 1971, Brooks 1970, Oakland Three Peat and so many others!

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Trivia:

In todays game every closer has an entrance song, Trevor Hoffman came in to Hells Bell and Mo came in to Enter the Sandman. It was not as popular when Lyle pitched. But he did have a song they played. What was it?

Hint: The answer is below

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TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY

Born: March 22, 1926 in Concord, NC The versatile Billy Goodman led the AL in batting with a .354 mark in 1950, one of five times he hit .300. He hit .290 or better 11 straight years (1948-58). But despite his steady hitting and versatile fielding, Goodman never quite achieved stardom. He was an 18-year-old free agent when he played his first year of pro baseball with the Atlanta Crackers in 1944. His first season would be a memorable one as the young outfielder would lead the Southern Association in runs scored with 122 and triples with 13. Billy also was near the leaders with a .336 batting average.

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March 22, 1962 -- At spring training, Yankees slugger Roger Maris declines to pose with Mets coach Rogers Hornsby because the Hall of Famer criticized him in his book My Wars with Baseball.

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March 22, 1976 -- The California Angels' groundskeeper finds hundreds of marijuana plants growing in the outfield at Anaheim Stadium. The culprits? Most likely rock fans who attended a recent performance at the stadium by The Who.

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March 22, 1981 --American League President Lee MacPhail suspends Baltimore Orioles manager Earl Weaver for removing his team from the field and forfeiting a spring training game to the Kansas City Royals. It is the fourth career suspension for Weaver, who was upset that the umpires did not provide him with an official batting order after Kansas City made numerous substitutions. Weaver's suspension will last three days.

March 22, 1993 - Cleveland Indians pitchers Steve Olin and Tim Crews are killed, and Bob Ojeda is seriously injured, when the motorboat in which they are riding strikes a pier on Little Lake Nellie near Winter Haven, Florida. Crews and Olin are the first active major leaguers to die since Thurman Munson in 1979.

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Quote of the day:

"Ted Williams told me that I'd never make the big leagues unless I came up with a slider. . . after I perfected the slider . . . 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." - Sparky Lyle, saying that "when Ted Williams told you something, you tried it"