George Tony Lyons (January 25, 1891 – August 12, 1981) was an American professional baseball pitcher who played a total of 33 games in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the 1920 St. Louis Cardinals and the 1924 St. Louis Browns. Listed at 5 feet 11 inches (1.80 m) and 180 pounds (82 kg), he threw and batted right-handed.
| George Lyons | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: January 25, 1891 Bible Grove, Illinois, US | |
| Died: August 12, 1981 (aged 90) Nevada, Missouri, US | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 6, 1920, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 23, 1924, for the St. Louis Browns | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 5–3 |
| Earned run average | 4.72 |
| Strikeouts | 30 |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
Biography
editNicknamed "Smooth",[1] Lyons played minor league baseball from 1914 to 1928, except for 1916 when there is no record of him playing professionally.[2] Lyons played only six games during the 1918 season,[2] due to military service from May 1918 to January 1919.[3] In 13 minor league seasons, he accrued a 124–163 win–loss record for seasons that records are available for.[2]
Lyons' first major league stint came in September 1920 with the St. Louis Cardinals.[4] His best outing was a complete game 4–2 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on September 22.[5] With the Cardinals, Lyons pitched in seven games (two starts) registering a 2–1 record with a 3.09 earned run average (ERA) while striking out five batters in 23+1⁄3 innings pitched.[6]
Lyons returned to the major leagues in 1924 with the St. Louis Browns, when he pitched in 26 games (six starts). He had two complete game wins in June;[7] one an 11–4 win over the Boston Red Sox,[8] the other a 10–2 win over the Philadelphia Athletics.[9] His record with the Browns was 3–2 with a 5.21 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 77+2⁄3 innings pitched.[6]
Lyons' major league pitching appearances yielded an overall 5–3 record with a 4.72 ERA in 33 games pitched.[6] As a batter, he accrued a .222 batting average (6-for-27) with four RBIs.[6] Defensively, he committed no errors in 39 total chances for a 1.000 fielding average.[6]
Born in Bible Grove, Illinois, in 1891, Lyons served in the United States Army during World War I.[3] He died at age 90 in Nevada, Missouri, and was interred there.[6] The ballpark in the city of Nevada—used by the local high school and a M.I.N.K. Collegiate Baseball League team—is named Lyons Stadium in his honor.[10]
References
edit- ^ "George Lyons Stats". MLB.com. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
- ^ a b c "Tony Lyons Minor League Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
- ^ a b "Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File". United States Department of Veterans Affairs. Retrieved August 3, 2020 – via fold3.com.
- ^ "The 1920 STL N Regular Season Pitching Log for George Lyons". Retrosheet. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
- ^ "St. Louis Cardinals 4, Philadelphia Phillies 2". Retrosheet. September 22, 1920. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f "George Lyons". Retrosheet. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
- ^ "The 1924 STL A Regular Season Pitching Log for George Lyons". Retrosheet. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
- ^ "St. Louis Browns 11, Boston Red Sox 4". Retrosheet. June 6, 1924. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
- ^ "St. Louis Browns 10, Philadelphia Athletics 2". Retrosheet. June 16, 1924. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
- ^ "Griffons hold inaugural George Lyons Night". Nevada Daily Mail. Nevada, Missouri. June 23, 2017. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
Further reading
edit- Bradham, Kelly. "Why Griffons?". nevadagriffons.org. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
Griffons is a natural nickname for a Nevada baseball team when you realize that it's a combination of Griffith and Lyons, Nevada's two well-known big league baseball players.
External links
edit- Career statistics from MLB, or Baseball Reference, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet