1934-1936 Diamond Stars: Lyons

Sunday, August 27, 2023

#43 Ted Lyons - Chicago White Sox

Theodore Amar Lyons

Chicago White Sox

Pitcher

Bats: Both Throws: Right Height: 5'11" Weight: 200

Born: December 28, 1900, Lake Charles, LA

Major League Teams: Chicago White Sox 1923-1942, 1946

As a Manager: Chicago White Sox 1946-1948

Died: July 25, 1986, Sulphur, LA (85)

Hall of Fame Induction: 1955

Ted Lyons pitched in parts of 21 seasons with the White Sox, where he was a fan favorite throughout the 1920s, 1930s and the early 1940s. Lyons was a 20-game winner in three seasons, first achieving the feat in 1925 when he was 21-11 with a league leading five shutouts. He no-hit the Red Sox on August 21, 1926, at Fenway Park. In 1927, Lyons was 22-14 while leading the league in complete games (30) and innings pitched (307 2/3). He'd match up with Tigers' pitcher George Uhle on May 24, 1929, throwing a 21-inning complete game in a 6-5 loss, while Uhle threw 20 innings. Lyons peaked in 1930, going 22-15 with a 3.78 ERA while again leading the league in complete games (29) and innings pitched (297 2/3). In 1934, and in an effort to preserve his arm, the White Sox capped his pitching output to 30 games per season. Beginning in 1939, his workload was cut even further when manager Jimmy Dykes (#42) scheduled him for only Sunday afternoon games, earning Lyons the nickname, "Sunday Teddy." Lyons would make his only All-Star team in 1939.

He missed three full years while serving with the Marines during World War II, returning to pitch in five games in 1946 before retiring as a player. Lyons was 260-230 lifetime with a 3.67 ERA in 594 games pitched. Elected to the Hall of Fame in 1955, he's the only pitcher in the Hall with more walks (1,121) than strikeouts (1,073). He managed the White Sox for three seasons following the dismissal of Dykes, guiding his team to a 185-245 record. Lyons was later a coach with the Tigers (1949-1953) and Dodgers (1954), and he'd serve as a scout and minor league instructor with the White Sox until retiring from baseball in 1967. The White Sox posthumously retired his #16 in 1987.

Building the Set

July 31, 2023 from Scottsdale, AZ (TONYeTRADE Enterprises) - Card #86

Long and unproductive virtual work meetings occasionally lead to me venturing over to eBay to look for Phillies team-issued photo cards I don't yet have or reasonably priced Diamond Stars cards needed for our set. In late July, I clicked Buy It Now on a pair of Diamond Stars cards, including this card of Hall of Famer Lyons from TONYeTRADE Enterprises, located in Scottsdale.

Variations Available

1 - 1935 / green back / 1934 statistics / 1935 copyright

The Card / White Sox Team Set

According to the fantastic resource, Baseball Uniforms of the 20th Century by Marc Okkonen, the White Sox uniform Lyons is shown wearing on this card was last worn by the club in 1929. The tip on the back explains how not to let the batter know what type of pitch is coming, by hiding the ball in your glove while setting your grip.

1935 Season

With the relatively new 30-game cap in place for Lyons' workload, the pitcher appeared in 23 games in 1935, going 15-8 with a 3.02 ERA over 190 2/3 innings pitched. Not only were his appearances limited, but manager Dykes started giving Lyons six days of rest between starts, resulting in his lowest ERA in eight years. Despite the decreased work load, Lyons compiled the highest bWAR on the club among all pitchers with a 4.9 mark. He led the staff with his 15 wins, two more than John Whitehead (#51), who made 27 starts.