Ted Lyons
| Birthdate | 12/28/1900 |
| Death Date | 7/25/1986 |
| Debut Year | 1923 |
| Year of Induction | 1955 |
| Teams | White Sox |
| Positions | Manager, Pitcher |
Ted Lyons received MVP votes in nine of his 21 seasons despite appearing in only one All Star game. He was elected to the Hall in 1955.
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Ted Lyons pitched for the White Sox from 1923-1946 and won 260 games
Ted Lyons pitched for the White Sox from 1923-1946 and won 260 games
With a 260-230 win/loss record and 3.67 ERA Ted Lyons’ statistics do not scream “Hall of Fame”. He is the only Cooperstown hurler with more career walks than strikeouts. Lyons lifetime ERA is exceeded in Cooperstown only by Jack Morris (3.90), Red Ruffing (3.80), and Mike Mussina (3.68).
A deeper look reveals Lyons to be worthy. According to Baseball Reference, three of the four pitchers most similar to Lyons are in the Hall of Fame. Only 264-game winner Gus Weyhing does not have a plaque. In fact, 7 of the 10 most similar hurlers are in Cooperstown.
It must be remembered that he spent his entire 21-year career pitching for mediocre White Sox teams. His lowly Chicago clubs finished fifth or lower in the eight-team American League in 16 of Lyons’ 21 seasons, never finishing higher than third.
Lyons was a durable workhorse, twirling 356 complete games. Only 14 pitchers recorded more. Hall of Fame manager Joe McCarthy once said of Lyons, “If he’d pitched for the Yankees, he would have won over 400 games.”
Shown here is a card from the iconic 1933 Goudey set autographed by the Chicago pitcher.
From 1923-33 HoF pitchers Lyons and Red Faber combined for 253 wins in Chicago
From 1923-33 HoF pitchers Lyons and Red Faber combined for 253 wins in Chicago
The American League Chicago White Sox began play in 1901, the Junior Circuit’s first year of play. In the long and illustrious history of the franchise, it is Ted Lyons who has the most wins. With today’s pitching trends it seems unlikely a hurler will ever surpass Lyons’ 260 victories for the South Siders.
The man who Lyons eclipsed on the Sox wins list is fellow Hall of Famer Red Faber. A 6’2″, 180-pound right-hander, Faber finished with 254 wins. He still holds the top spot for Chicago pitchers in career appearances and WAR.
Faber pitched for the Chisox from 1914-1933. His career overlapped for a dozen seasons with Lyons who was on the Chicago staff from 1923-1946.
From 1923-1933 when they shared the Comiskey Park mound, the duo combined for 253 victories.
Shown here is a Christmas card from Lyons to Faber well after their playing days. Lyons mentions Faber’s wife Fran and his son Pepper.
George Uhle and Lyons eached pitched 20 innings in the same game on 5/24/1929
George Uhle and Lyons eached pitched 20 innings in the same game on 5/24/1929
The last men to throw 20 innings in a single game did it against each other. On May 24, 1929 the Tigers squared off against the White Sox at Chicago’s Comiskey Park. Detroit sent George Uhle; Chicago countered with future Cooperstown man Ted Lyons.
The game lasted 21 innings with Uhle going all but three outs and Lyons lasting the distance.
Both pitchers were less than sharp to start. Uhle gave up five runs on ten hits through the first five innings. Lyons wasn’t much better, allowing his fifth run and 11th hit in his 6th frame.
From there the two right-handers put up zero after zero after zero. After 9 innings the game was tied at five. Another 9 innings later, the score remained the same.
The game entered the 21st inning with Uhle at bat. He reached on an infield single, his fourth hit of the game. His night ended when he was lifted for pinch runner Emil Yde.
Uhle departed after 20 innings. He gave up 5 runs on 17 hits and 3 walks. He struck out 4. In a game with 164 plate appearances, no batter for either team had more hits than Uhle.
Charlie Gehringer put Uhle in line for the win three batters later with a sacrifice fly. Iron man Lyons retired the next batter to end the visitor’s half of the 21st inning.
The game’s first reliever Lil Stoner recorded the final three outs to end the contest.
Lyons took the loss after throwing all 21 innings. He allowed 6 runs on 24 hits while walking 2 striking out 4. The game marked the last time any hurler completed at least 20 innings in a single game.
In the collection is a letter from legendary autograph collector George Hipp written to Uhle. Hipp requests the Uhle’s autograph in 1957. In that decade through the 1960s Hipp was a prolific letter-writer in his attempt to obtain the autograph of every living player.
The image above shows Hipp’s successful attempt to secure Uhle’s signature.
The pitcher writes, “Dear Mr. Hipp – Very sorry this letter did not get into my hands until today. Will be most pleased to accommodate you at any time – Sincerely Geo Uhle.”
Hipp’s letter is dated February 15, 1957 while Uhle has penned the date of April 5, hence his apology for not tending to the request earlier.
Similar letters to Hipp can be found on the pages of Larry French and Lon Warneke.
Manager Jimmie Dykes devised a plan to pitch Lyons on Sundays - that plan put Lyons in the Hall
Manager Jimmie Dykes devised a plan to pitch Lyons on Sundays - that plan put Lyons in the Hall
Jimmie Dykes managed the White Sox from 1934-1946. At the start of his tenure the ace of the Chicago staff was aging Hall of Fame hurler Ted Lyons.
From 1934-1937 Lyons posted 48 wins, reaching double figure win totals each season. In his age-37 season of 1938 Lyons’ record slipped to 9-11.
Dykes came up with an innovative plan for 1939 to help the 17-year veteran Lyons. The skipper decided to pitch Lyons just once a week. The Chicago favorite pitched primarily on Sundays, a move to help his body recover and also to draw a large weekend crowd.
Lyons responded with an all star performance. The right-hander started 21 games and completed them all. He held opposing hitters to a league-low .273 on-base percentage. Lyons also led the league in WHIP (walks plus hits per innings pitched).
From his age-38 season until he retired at age 45, Sunday Teddy remained effective. His winning percentage under Dykes’ plan was .609 for the second-division club. The Cooperstown man also completed more than 85% of his starts during that time.
His late career effectiveness quite likely put him over the top in Hall of Fame voting.
In the collection is this photo of Dykes with lifelong baseball man Paul Richards. Both men have signed the image.
Ted Lyons represented the American League well in his 21-year career
Ted Lyons represented the American League well in his 21-year career
William Harridge faithfully served as American League President for nearly three decades. The longest-tenured league chief in the game’s history, Harridge was in office for 29 years . When he retired, congratulatory letters poured in from all over the baseball world.
In the collection is this letter from Harridge dated January 6, 1959. He writes to Hall of Fame pitcher Ted Lyons, thanking the 21-year AL veteran for his well wishes.
He writes, “I have enjoyed my long association with baseball and many of the nice friends I have made among the players, which, of course, includes Teddy Lyons. In your playing days you always gave a good account of yourself on the ball field, and since your retirement since active duty you have carried on for the good of our National Game.”
Lyons represented the American League well. His 260 wins rank 10th in AL history while his 356 complete games in the Junior Circuit place him third behind only the Senators Walter Johnson, and 326-game winner Gettysburg Eddie Plank.
Though Harridge signed many documents in his position of leadership, letters such as this are uncommon. A correspondence from one Hall of Fame member to another is highly desirable.
The White Sox finished in the second division in 16 of Lyons 21 seasons
The White Sox finished in the second division in 16 of Lyons 21 seasons
Nine times in his 21-year career Ted Lyons received votes for the MVP Award. That’s no small feat considering how truly awful some of his Chicago teams were.
Lyons’ White Sox finished in the bottom half of the American League standings in 16 of his 21 seasons. They finished last three times and never higher than third.
Lyons posted double-digit win totals in 17 seasons highlighted by two 20-win campaigns in which he led the AL in victories.
In the collection is this two-page handwritten letter penned by an 84-year old Ted Lyons.
Lyons might have 300 wins if not for missing 3 seasons during WWII
Lyons might have 300 wins if not for missing 3 seasons during WWII
The only pitcher in the Hall of Fame to record more walks than strikeouts, Ted Lyons made one All Star team in 21 big league seasons.
Lyons won 260 games and just might’ve finished with 300 if not for his military service. In 1942, Lyons went 14-6 with 20 complete games in as many starts. His 2.10 ERA led the league. The next year he enlisted into the Marines to help the war effort.
The White Sox franchise leader in wins then missed all of the next three seasons. Lyons returned for one final season in 1946. He pitched five complete games and posted a sparkling 2.32 ERA.
Shown here is the all-time White Sox team as selected by Hall of Fame umpire Jocko Conlan. Lyons and Conlan were teammates in Chicago in 1934 and 1935, Conlan’s two seasons as a big league player. Conlan lists Lyons as his #1 choice.
The umpire identifies two other Cooperstown men, catcher Ray Schalk and shortstop Luke Appling. In the outfield Conlan selects Shoeless Joe Jackson among others.
