Brandon Lyon

From SoSH

Brandon James Lyon was born on August 10, 1979 in Salt Lake City, Utah. A right-handed relief pitcher who has struggled with injuries, Lyon appeared in 49 games with Boston in 2003, during which he converted 9 of 12 save opportunities. He currently plays for the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Contents 1 Overall Career 2 Moment in the Sun 3 Awards 4 Trivia 5 Transactions 6 External Links

Overall Career

Lyon was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 14th round of the 1999 draft. Initially a starter, the Blue Jays put Lyon in the bullpen after early struggles in the 2002 season. In his first game as a reliever, he pitched 3 1/3 innings in relief for the Blue Jays at Fenway Park. After the 2002 season, the Red Sox claimed him off waivers.

Lyon made the 2003 Opening Day roster as the last man in a bullpen that included high-profile signings Mike Timlin, Ramiro Mendoza, and Chad Fox, as well as two players who were acquired in trades in the previous season (Bob Howry and Alan Embree). Lyon and Steve Woodard were not expected to get much playing time, but were each pressed into three innings action in the second game of the season, a game that went 16 innings. Lyon struck out four and gave up only two hits - the most impressive pitching outing of the night.

Lyon picked up one save in April as part of the closer by committee system. After an injury to Chad Fox at the end of April, Grady Little picked Lyon as his closer. Lyon started off hot but started cooling down in July and lost the closing job to Byung-Hyun Kim.

On July 22, 2003, the Sox traded Lyon and Anastacio Martinez to Pittsburgh for Mike Gonzalez and Scott Sauerbeck. Lyon was immediately disabled by the Pirates, who asked Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein to reverse the trade. One week later, he and Martinez were sent back to the Sox, along with Jeff Suppan, for Mike Gonzalez, Freddy Sanchez, and cash. In late November of 2003, he was sent to the Arizona Diamondbacks as part of a package deal for Curt Schilling. He missed the entire 2004 season with an injury and spent 2005 as a closer for the Diamondbacks until an elbow injury ended his season prematurely. Lyon came back strong in 2006, pitching a career high 69.1 innings, while going 2-4 with a career low 3.89 ERA.

Moment in the Sun

• Can brag that he was traded for Curt Schilling.
• Wore #38 for Boston in 2003 (which Schilling wore in 2004), and wore #38 for Arizona in 2004 (which Schilling wore in 2003).

Awards

• 2000 Junior College Player of the Year

Trivia

• Update

Transactions

• June 2, 1999: Drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 14th round of the 1999 amateur draft. Player signed May 31, 2000.
• October 9, 2002: Selected off waivers by the Boston Red Sox from the Toronto Blue Jays.
• July 22, 2003: Traded by the Boston Red Sox with Anastacio Martinez to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Mike Gonzalez and Scott Sauerbeck.
• July 31, 2003: Traded by the Pittsburgh Pirates with Anastacio Martinez and Jeff Suppan to the Boston Red Sox for Mike Gonzalez, Freddy Sanchez, and cash.
• November 28, 2003: Traded by the Boston Red Sox with Michael Goss, Casey Fossum, and Jorge de la Rosa to the Arizona Diamondbacks for Curt Schilling.
• January 18, 2005: Signed as a Free Agent with the Arizona Diamondbacks
• January 17, 2006: Signed as a Free Agent with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
• January 16, 2007: Signed as a Free Agent with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

External Links

• Baseball-Reference.com - Career Statistics and Analysis