George Lyons (baseball)

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: (1891-01-25)January 25, 1891
Bible Grove, Illinois, US
Died: August 12, 1981(1981-08-12) (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 record5–3
Earned run average4.72
Strikeouts30
Teams

Biography

Nicknamed "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
  1. "George Lyons Stats". MLB.com. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  2. "Tony Lyons Minor League Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  3. "Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File". United States Department of Veterans Affairs. Retrieved August 3, 2020 – via fold3.com.
  4. "The 1920 STL N Regular Season Pitching Log for George Lyons". Retrosheet. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  5. "St. Louis Cardinals 4, Philadelphia Phillies 2". Retrosheet. September 22, 1920. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  6. "George Lyons". Retrosheet. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  7. "The 1924 STL A Regular Season Pitching Log for George Lyons". Retrosheet. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  8. "St. Louis Browns 11, Boston Red Sox 4". Retrosheet. June 6, 1924. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  9. "St. Louis Browns 10, Philadelphia Athletics 2". Retrosheet. June 16, 1924. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  10. "Griffons hold inaugural George Lyons Night". Nevada Daily Mail. Nevada, Missouri. June 23, 2017. Retrieved August 3, 2020.

Further reading
  • 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.
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