LYONS, STEVE  
 
Nickname:   N/A Position:   2B-OF-3B-1B-C
Home: Scottsdale, AZ Team:   NESN
Height: 6' 3" Bats:   L
Weight: 190 Throws:   R
DOB: 6/3/1960 Agent: Tom Demakis
Birth City: Tacoma, Wash. Draft: Red Sox #1-June,'81 out of Oregon St.
Uniform #: N/A  
 
YR LEA TEAM SAL(K) G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO OBP SLG AVG
1985 AL RED SOX   133 371 52 98 14 3 5 30 12 9 32 64 .322 .358 .264
1986 AL RED SOX   59 124 20 31 7 2 1 14 2 3 12 23 .312 .363 .250
1986 AL WHITE SOX   42 123 10 25 2 1 0 6 2 3 7 24 .248 .236 .203
1987 AL WHITE SOX $116.00 76 193 26 54 11 1 1 19 3 1 12 37 .320 .363 .280
1987 PCL HAWAII   47 167 26 48 11 0 2 16 7   22 27     .287
1988 AL WHITE SOX $175.00 146 472 59 127 28 3 5 45 1 2 32 59 .313 .373 .269
1989 AL WHITE SOX $325.00 140 443 51 117 21 3 2 50 9 6 35 68 .317 .339 .264
1990 AL WHITE SOX $525.00 94 146 22 28 6 1 1 11 1 0 10 41 .245 .267 .192
1991 AL WHIT SOX-RED SX $650.00 87 212 15 51 10 1 4 17 10   11 35     .241
1991 AL RED SOX   87 212 15 51 10 1 4 17 10 3 11 35 .277 .354 .241
1992 AL BRAVES   11 14 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 4 .071 .214 .071
1992 AL EXPOS   16 13 2 3 0 0 0 1 1 2 1 3 .286 .231 .231
1992 AL RED SOX $650.00 21 28 3 7 0 1 0 2 0 1 2 1 .300 .321 .250
1992 NL BRAVES-EXPOS $650.00 27 27 2 4 0 1 0 2 1   1 7     .148
1992 IL PAWTUCKET     135 14 35 14 2 2 12 3   8 18     .259
1993 IL PAWTUCKET   67 197 24 42 6 0 4 18 3   26 50     .213
1993 AL RED SOX   28 23 4 3 1 0 0 0 1 2 2 5 .200 .174 .130

  • Lyons was a very enthusiastic, energetic player.

  • Red Sox traded him to White Sox for P Tom Seaver June 29,'86

  • C Marc Sullivan, playing with Steve in the Bosox farm system, hung the nickname "Psycho" on Steve because of his mannerisms & intensity

  • If he increases his concentration level, his performance will improve in all levels of his game

  • Steve is Union Player Rep. for the White Sox

  • On April 23, '90, Steve played all 9 positions for the White Sox in an exhibition game against the cross-town Cubs

  • On July 16, '90, Steve slid into first base for a single in the 5th inning. A brief argument ensued between Tiger P Dan Petry--who believed Lyons was out--umpire Jim Evans & White Sox Mgr. Jeff Torborg. After he got up, Lyons--apparently forgetting where he was--unbuckled his belt, dropped his pants & bent over to brush away some dirt. Fans roared at the sight of Lyons wearing nothing but a white jock supporter over a pair of white longjohns. An embarrassed Lyons quickly pulled his pants back up.

    "I could feel dirt running all down my legs," Steve said. "After they started arguing, I just kind of forgot where I was. My belt buckle had already come open--I just yanked it & pulled my pants down. I don't have anything to be embarrassed about, but it's embarrassing that I did it. I mean, it's not like I'm flabby. When I got back to the bench, girls were waving money at me."

  • Once when a fan in the stands caught a foul ball, Steve climbed into the seats to give him a high-five

  • After one at-bat during which he struck out, "Psycho" threw his batting helmet all the way to the dugout.

  • On several occasions, after reaching base, Steve has played tic-tac-toe in the dirt with opposing first basemen.

  • The White Sox released Lyons, one week into the '91 season. The Red Sox signed him a week later

  • Soon after joining Boston, he was fined $15 by the team's "kangaroo court" for, among other things, "crossing time zones to reach" the ballclub. But they did at least give him $5 credit for sporting an earring, and replacing a player (Randy Kutcher), who also had an earring, on the roster

  • Steve got the "Psycho" nickname from his burning desire to do well & help his team, not his "zany" nature. It was in 1972 that minor lg. teammate, Marc Sullivan crowned Lyons with the monicker.

    "I had struck out for the 3rd time in a game," Steve remembered, "and I came back & threw my batting helmet down, came to the end of the bench & was swearing at myself. Sullivan looked down to me & said, 'Man, you're a psycho!' It just sort of stuck with me."

  • "I've always been an aggressive player," Steve said. "I show up to play every day. I have limited ability, and I think I have to make up for it. Sometimes my aggressiveness gets me into trouble, but at the same time, it got me to the big leagues."

  • Lyons pitched the final inning in a 14-1 Red Sox loss (to the Twins) July 21, '91 and his fastball was clocked at 86 MPH

  • Steve agreed to terms on a 1-year contract with the Braves, Jan. 8, '92

  • He and wife Lynn, have 2 children: Kristen and Kori

  • Steve signed with the Cubs in Feb., '93, but was released late in spring training--March 29th

  • Steve signed with Pawtucket (IL-Red Sox), May 7, '93. On June 14, '93, Lyons began his 4th tour of duty with Boston. "I guess they can't throw me away," Steve said. This time, he wore uniform 30, after wearing #7, 12 and 19 his first 3 times with the Red Sox.
PERSONAL:
 

  • Lyons was a very aggressive player--and opposing pitchers have used that aggressiveness to their advantage. Steve learned though, & is much more patient at the plate, now. His strike zone judgment is still not very good, though

  • He still gets a steady diet of off-speed pitches & breaking balls and his biggest problem is with the change-up. Hard-throwing lefthanders give him some trouble, too

  • He is a better-than avg. bunter

  • He does not have much power

  • Responds to challenges.
  • Aggressiveness was his Achilles heel on the bases. He had good speed, gets a decent jump, sometimes wanders too far off base in his attempt to get a jump & gets picked off.
BATTING:
 
  • Versatility is Steve's forte & moving around to different positions is a delight to him. While he is only fair defensively, lacking the range to be a great infielder & the arm to be a good outfielder, he is better-than-adequate as a fill-in
  • In the infield, his quickness enables him to run down a lot of balls. Has a bad habit of either breaking the wrong way or not getting a good jump on the ball
  • Has a fair arm
  • He is a pretty good utilityman, playing first base, 3rd, 2nd and even catching in an emergency. He likes catching, saying, "I should have done this 10 years ago. I like sticking my nose in there," when he tried it after '87 season in FIL
  • Plays the OF, too, doing an excellent job out there. He says center field is his natural position
  • He is not good at 3rd base, having troubles with throws to first base. He even says he is very uncomfortable there.
FIELDING:
 
  • POST-PLAYING CAREER POSITIONS: 
  • Steve was an excellent "color" announcer for Fox Sports from 1996, when the network began televising sports, specifically baseball, to October 13, 2006 when he was firedfor making a racially insensitive comment directed at colleague Lou Piniella's Hispanic heritage on the air during Game 3 of the American League Championship Series.

    Piniella had made an analogy involving the luck of finding a wallet, then briefly used a couple of Spanish phrases during Friday's broadcast.

    Lyons said that Piniella was "hablaing Espanol" -- butchering the conjugation for the word "to speak" -- and added, "I still can't find my wallet."

    "I don't understand him, and I don't want to sit too close to him now," Lyons continued.

    Lyons claimed he was kidding.

    "If I offended anybody, I'm truly sorry," Lyons said in a phone interview. "But my comment about Lou taking my wallet was a joke and in no way racially motivated."

    Lyons flew Saturday to Los Angeles, where he hoped to meet with Fox chairman David Hill. Lyons had been working in the booth for the ALCS alongside Thom Brennaman and Piniella, the No. 2 broadcast team for Fox this postseason.

    "Steve Lyons has been relieved of his Fox Sports duties for making comments on air that the company found inappropriate," network spokesman Dan Bell said.

    In the second inning of Friday's game between Detroit and Oakland, Piniella talked about the success light-hitting A's INF Marco Scutaro in the first round of the playoffs. Piniella compared Scutaro's production to finding a "wallet on Friday" and hoping it happened again the next week.

    Later, Piniella said the A's needed Thomas to get "en fuego" -- hot in Spanish -- because he was currently "frio" -- or cold. After Brennaman praised Piniella for being bilingual, Lyons spoke up.

    Fox executives told Lyons after the game he had been fired.

  • Steve kept his job as a part-time commentator for the Dodgers, but was given probationary guidelines and underwent diversity training.

    He works as a commentator with play-by-play announcer Charley Steiner on road games that long-time voice of the Dodgers Vin Scully does not do.

  • 2015: Lyons moved to NESN, as an occasional analyst for Red Sox games.
RUNNING:
 
 
Last Updated 5/9/2019 5:11:00 PM. All contents © 2000 by Player Profiles. All rights reserved.