Tyler William Lyons (born February 21, 1988) is an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

in the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...

organization. He attended

Oklahoma State University Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...

(OSU) at Stillwater and played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional p ...

for the

Cowboys A cowboy is a professional pastoralist or mounted livestock herder, usually from the Americas or Australia. Cowboy(s) or The Cowboy(s) may also refer to: Film and television * ''Cowboy'' (1958 film), starring Glenn Ford * ''Cowboy'' (1966 film), ...

. The

selected him in the 10th round of the 2009 amateur draft, but he chose to remain at OSU. The next year, the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...

made him a ninth round pick, and he signed. Along with the Yankees, he has played in MLB for the

and Pittsburgh Pirates. In 2011, while pitching for the

Palm Beach Cardinals The Palm Beach Cardinals are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. They are located in the town of Jupiter in Palm Beach County, Florida, and play their home games at Rog ...

of the Florida State League in the

minor leagues Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in No ...

, Lyons pitched the first no-hitter in team history. He is a three-time recipient of the Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Week Award.

High school and college

Born in Lubbock, Texas, Lyons attended

Frenship High School Frenship High School is a public high school located in Wolfforth, Texas, United States. It is classified as a 6A school by the UIL. The school serves students in grades 10–12 from Wolfforth, parts of western Lubbock, and southwest Lubbock C ...

where he was a multi-sport athlete. He

lettered Calligraphy (from el, link=y, καλλιγραφία) is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instrument. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "t ...

in football for three years. On the baseball field, Lyons was a two-time district

MVP In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

and was named All-City Player of the Year his senior season by the '' Lubbock Avalanche-Journal''. Lyons attended

where he majored in

sport management Sport management is the field of business dealing with sports and recreation. Sports management involves any combination of skills that correspond with planning, organizing, directing, controlling, budgeting, leading, or evaluating of any organiz ...

and played baseball for the Cowboys from 2007 to 2010. In 2008 he posted 12 wins, fourth-best nationally, while earning second-team All-Big 12 honors. He was strong in the classroom as well, being named first-team Academic All-Big 12. In the summer of 2008, Lyons was chosen to play for Team USA. His 11 appearances without giving up an earned run helped the team to a 24-0 record and a gold medal in the FISU World Championships. In 2009 Lyons tied for the team lead with seven wins, while earning an All-Big 12 honorable mention. He played collegiate summer baseball in 2009 for the

Chatham Anglers The Chatham Anglers, more commonly referred to as the Chatham A's and formerly the Chatham Athletics, are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Chatham, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in t ...

of the Cape Cod Baseball League.

Professional career

Minor Leagues

The

drafted Lyons in th
10th round
of the 2009 amateur draft, but he chose to return to OSU. The Cardinals selected him in th
ninth round
in 2010, and he signed. Lyons signed too late to play in the Cardinals minor league system in 2010; however, in 2011 he pitched for the

of the Florida State League. On August 8, 2011, he threw the first no-hitter in Palm Beach's history, a 10–0 win over the

Fort Myers Miracle The Fort Myers Mighty Mussels are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. They are located in Fort Myers, Florida, and play their home games at the Lee County Sports Complex at H ...

. Lyons struck out eight and faced two batters over the minimum in his eighth career professional start. He finished the 2011 season with an overall record of 9-4 with an ERA of 4.50 over 94 innings pitched. Lyons split the 2012 season between the Cardinals Double-A affiliate

Springfield Cardinals The Springfield Cardinals are a Minor League Baseball team based in Springfield, Missouri. They compete as a member of the Texas League's North Division. The Cardinals began play in 2005. The team is owned by the 11-time Major League Baseball ...

of the

Texas League The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...

and Triple-A

Memphis Redbirds The Memphis Redbirds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. They are located in Memphis, Tennessee, and are named for their Major League Baseball affiliate. The Redbir ...

of the Pacific Coast League (PCL). In 12 starts for Springfield, he was 5-4 with a 3.92 ERA. Lyons struggled to adjust, however, after moving up to Memphis, going just 4-9 with a 4.28 ERA over 88 innings (15 starts) for the Redbirds.

St. Louis Cardinals

2013

Lyons started the 2013 season with Memphis, posting a record of 2–1 in eight starts with a 4.47 ERA prior to his first major league call-up. He made his major league debut with the Cardinals on May 22,

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...

, against the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penn ...

at Petco Park, allowing one run and four hits over seven innings as the Cardinals won, 5–3. After winning his first two games, Lyons began to struggle on the mound. On June 22 the Cardinals optioned Lyons to Triple A Memphis and called up Michael Blazek. In his previous four starts, Lyons gave up at least four earned runs in each start and saw his ERA climb to 5.51; his ultimate appearance lasted just innings on June 21 against the Texas Rangers. Lyons made six more appearances – two starts – in the rest of 2013, and finished the year 2–4 with a 4.75 ERA in 12 games. The Cardinals appeared in the

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...

, but left Lyons off the

playoff The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...

roster.

2014

Beginning the 2014 season again in Memphis, Lyons made three starts before the

Cardinals Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to: Animals * Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae **''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, the ...

recalled him on April 21 to replace the injured Joe Kelly in the rotation. He made four starts with two relief appearances sandwiched between as the temporary fifth starter, going 0–3 with a 6.12 ERA and 23 strikeouts in 25 innings. Following a May 12 start in which he gave up 9 runs in 4 innings pitched, he was placed on the disabled list with a shoulder strain, and replaced in the rotation by Jaime García. Lyons pitched most of the rest of the season in Memphis, where he had a six-game streak of winning his starts. In St. Louis in 2014, Lyons went 0-4 in 11 appearances (four starts), posting a 4.42 ERA with 36 strikeouts and a 1.200 WHIP.

2015

Filling roles as a sixth starter and swingman in 2015, the Cardinals recalled Lyons from Memphis to replace injured starters, including

Adam Wainwright Adam Parrish Wainwright (born August 30, 1981), nicknamed "Waino" and "Uncle Charlie", is an American professional baseball pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB). The Atlanta Braves selected him 29th overall in th ...

and

Lance Lynn Michael Lance Lynn (born May 12, 1987) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Chicago White Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the St. Louis Cardinals, Minnesota Twins, New York Yankees, and Texas Rangers. ...

. After a brief stint in April, the club optioned Lyons back to Memphis. For the week ending June 7, he named PCL Pitcher of the week after defeating both the

Salt Lake Bees The Salt Lake Bees are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels. They are located in Salt Lake City, Utah, and play their home games at Smith's Ballpark. The ballpark o ...

and Iowa Cubs. Combined, he allowed a 0.00 ERA, 0.54 WHIP and .136 batting average against while striking out 13 in 13 IP. The Cardinals then recalled him to replace Lynn. Lyons made his next MLB start on June 13, stopping a winless streak of 13 MLB starts by pitching a 3–2 victory over the Kansas City Royals. He struck out five in six innings. Lyons' next start, against the Philadelphia Phillies on June 19, was his second win of the season by a 12–4 margin. While hitting, he collected his first major league

run batted in A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the bat ...

and base on balls and hit two singles. He reached base and scored in all three plate appearances. In his first relief appearance of the season, Lyons completed scoreless innings in a 10–5 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates on August 13. It was the Cardinals' first scoreless relief outing of at least five innings since

Manny Aybar Manuel Antonio Aybar (born May 4, 1972) is a retired pitcher who has played in Major League Baseball and Korea Baseball Organization. He bats and throws right-handed. Aybar began his professional career in as a shortstop in the St. Louis Cardi ...

did so in

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...

. Starting against the Pittsburgh Pirates on September 30, Lyons completed seven scoreless innings with just four hits and no walks allowed while the Cardinals won their 100th game of the season by an 11–1 score and clinched their third consecutive

National League Central The National League Central is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. This division was created in 1994, by moving two teams from the National League West (the Cincinnati Reds and the Houston Astros) and three teams from the National League ...

division title. Reaching new major league career highs in multiple categories, Lyons appeared in 17 games and 60 innings for the Cardinals, with eight starts, 3.75 ERA, 3–1 W–L record, 60 strikeouts, and 12 home runs allowed.

2016

In 2016, Lyons made 30 appearances out of the bullpen and finished the year 2-0 with a 3.38 ERA. On November 10, 2016, Lyons underwent right knee surgery, which required 5–6 months to recover. The procedure was performed by Dr. George Paletta, a former team physician of the Cardinals.

2017

In 2017, Lyons began the season on the disabled list but returned in late May. Upon his return to St. Louis, he worked strictly out of the bullpen. He was 4-1 and posted career best marks in ERA (2.83), WHIP (1.09), and K/9 innings (11.3) in 54 relief innings pitched.

2018

After compiling an 8.64 ERA in 27 relief appearances, Lyons was

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must within seven days, return the pla ...

on July 27, 2018. He cleared waivers and was outrighted to the Triple-A

, where he spent the remainder of the year. He declared free agency on October 2, 2018.

Pittsburgh Pirates

On January 1, 2019, Lyons signed a minor league deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He opened the 2019 season with the Indianapolis Indians. His contract was selected on May 4. On May 8, he was designated for assignment. He was released on August 11.

New York Yankees

On August 15, 2019, Lyons signed a minor league deal with the

. On September 1, the Yankees selected Lyons' contract. Lyons was outrighted off the Yankees roster on November 4, and elected free agency. On February 3, 2020, Lyons signed a new minor league contract with the Yankees. On September 22, 2020, Lyons was selected to the 40-man and active rosters. Lyons was outrighted off of the roster on September 25. On January 6, 2021, Lyons re-signed with the Yankees on a minor league contract.

Awards and accomplishments

* 3× Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Week (July 7, 2013; August 3, 2014; June 7, 2015) * 1st no-hitter in

history: 10–0 win over

(August 8, 2011)

Personal life

Lyons proposed to longtime girlfriend Jennifer Sutton in November 2015 and they were married on December 3, 2016, in

Anna, Texas Anna is a city in the U.S. state of Texas. Located in Collin County, its population was 16,896 at the 2020 U.S. census. History Following the American Civil War, the Houston and Texas Central Railway resumed laying track north from Corsicana ...

. The couple's first child, a daughter, was born in December 2017.

References

External links

Oklahoma State Cowboys bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lyons, Tyler 1988 births Living people Sportspeople from Lubbock, Texas Baseball players from Texas Major League Baseball pitchers St. Louis Cardinals players Pittsburgh Pirates players New York Yankees players Oklahoma State Cowboys baseball players Chatham Anglers players Palm Beach Cardinals players Springfield Cardinals players Memphis Redbirds players Peoria Javelinas players Indianapolis Indians players Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders players