Ted Lyons (1955)

Date of Birth: 12/28/1900
Date of Death: 7/25/1986
Birthplace: Lake Charles, Louisiana
College: Baylor University

Ted Lyons was a top athlete at Baylor University and he excelled in baseball, basketball, and track. He signed with the Chicago White Sox on June 1, 1923.

Chicago White Sox

Lyons began his career with the White Sox as a relief pitcher, pitching in just nine games with them in 1923. The following year, he was added to the team's starting rotation, where he remained for the rest of his career. In 1924, he pitched in 41 games and he had a 12-11 record and a 4.87 ERA in 216.1 innings. He struggled with control issues that season, walking 72 batters and striking out just 52.

In 1925, Lyons led the American League in wins with 21 (to 11 losses). He had a 3.26 ERA in 262.2 innings in a career high 43 games (32 as a starting pitcher). He still struggled with control, walking 83 batters while striking out just 45.

On August 21, 1926, Lyons pitched a no hitter that lasted just 67 minutes. He finished the season with 18 wins and 16 losses, 51 strikeouts to 106 walks, and a 3.01 ERA in 283.2 innings in 39 games. He played well defensively, leading AL pitchers in assists with 91.

Lyons had a good season in 1927, when he led the AL in innings pitched (a career high 307.2), complete games pitched (30), and wins (a career high 22 to 14 losses). He had a 2.84 ERA in 39 games. He struck out 71 batters and walked 67.

Lyons struggled in 1928 and 1929. He had just 15 wins (to 14 losses) in 1928, and 14 wins and 20 losses in 1929. He had a 3.98 ERA in 240.0 innings in 39 games in 1928. The following season, he had a 4.10 ERA in 259.1 innings in 37 games.

In 1930, Lyons led the AL in innings pitched (297.2) and in complete games pitched (29). He had a 3.78 ERA with a career high 22 wins to 15 losses and 69 strikeouts to 57 walks in 297.2 innings in 42 games. Defensively, he again led all AL pitchers in assists with 77.

Lyons pitched in just 22 games in 1931. He had a 4.01 ERA in 101.0 innings. The following season, he pitched 230.2 innings in 33 games. He finished the 1932 season with 10 wins and 15 losses, 58 strikeouts to 71 walks, and a 3.28 ERA.

Lyons struggled again in 1933 and 1934, finishing with a 4.38 ERA in 1933, and a 4.87 ERA in 1934. He had 10 wins (to 21 losses) in 1933, and 11 wins to 13 losses the following season. He pitched 228.0 innings in 36 games in 1933, and he struck out a career high 74 batters. He also walked 74 batters that year. In 1934, he struck out 53 batters and walked 66 in 205.1 innings in 30 games.

Lyons played in just 23 games in 1935, and his ERA improved to 3.02. He had 15 wins and 8 losses and 54 strikeouts to 56 walks in 190.2 innings. The following season, he had a 5.14 ERA in 26 games. He finished the 1936 season with 10 wins and 13 losses and 48 strikeouts to 45 walks in 182.0 innings. He improved slightly in 1937, when he had a 12-7 record, 45 strikeouts to 45 walks, and a 4.15 ERA in 169.1 innings in 22 games.

From 1938 through 1941, Lyons continued to pitch in a limited number of games (23 in 1938, 21 in 1939, and 22 in both 1940 and 1941). His ERA was 3.70 in 1938, 2.76 in 1939, 3.24 in 1940, and back up to 3.70 in 1938. He had just 9 wins (to 11 losses) in 1938, 14 wins (to 6 losses) in 1939, and 12 wins in both 1940 and 1941.

Lyons led the American League in ERA in 1942. That season he had a 14-6 record with a career low ERA of 2.10 in 180.1 innings in 20 games. A year later, Lyons was in the United States Marine Corps and he missed the entire 1943 through 1945 seasons.

When Lyons returned to the White Sox in 1946, he was made their player-manager. He pitched in just five games that season before being released on June 14th.

MLB Records

• Led AL in wins (2 times)
• Led AL in innings pitched (2 times)
• Led AL in complete games (2 times)

Career Statistics

Career pitching statistics for Lyons include:

• 594 games played
• 4,161 innings pitched
• 260-230 win-loss record
• 1,073 strikeouts to 1,121 walks
• 3.67 ERA

Post Playing Career

After retiring as a major league player, Lyons continued as the White Sox manager through the 1948 season. His record as manager for three seasons was 185 wins and 245 losses.

In 1949, Lyons became a pitching coach for the Detroit Tigers and he held that position for four years.

After a year out of major league baseball, Lyons returned in 1954 to serve for one year as a pitching coach for the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Lyons was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1955 on the tenth ballot with 86.5% of the vote.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Ted Lyons
ESPN - Ted Lyons
Baseball Reference - Ted Lyons