1969 Topps #311 Sparky Lyle
About Sparky Lyle
1969 was Lyle's third major-league season and the year he took over as Boston's closer: 71 games, an 8-3 record, a 2.54 ERA and 17 saves, striking out 93 batters in 102.2 innings. His 1969 Topps card, #311 in the third print series, pictures him with the Red Sox and is a recognized rookie card.
Albert Walter "Sparky" Lyle pitched 16 seasons (1967-1982) exclusively in relief for the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Texas Rangers, Philadelphia Phillies, and Chicago White Sox, finishing with 238 saves, a 2.88 ERA and a 99-76 record in 899 games - the most career wins of any pitcher who never started a game. Signed by Baltimore as an amateur free agent in 1964 and drafted by Boston that November, he reached the majors on July 4, 1967, and developed his signature slider under Ted Williams's tutelage at Pittsfield. Traded to the Yankees in March 1972 for Danny Cater, Lyle became New York's bullpen ace, leading the American League in saves in 1972 and 1976 and winning the 1977 Cy Young Award, the first ever given to an American League reliever. He helped the Yankees win back-to-back World Series titles in 1977 and 1978 before a late-1978 trade sent him to Texas, then Philadelphia and Chicago to close out his career. A three-time All-Star (1973, 1976, 1977), Lyle later managed the independent Somerset Patriots for over a decade.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 623 | 5 | 53 | 269 | 134 | 70 | 45 | 47 | 0 |
| SGC | 81 | 0 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 13 | 11 | 5 | 0 |
Graded population — a scarcity guide, not a price. Data as of 2026-09-04. Half grades fold down for both graders (8.5→8); PSA qualified slabs (OC, ST, PD, MC and the like) are not counted.
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Related cards
More Boston Red Sox cards:
- #1 American League 1968 Batting Leaders
- #3 American League 1968 RBI Leaders
- #5 American League 1968 Home Run Leaders
- #21 Jose Santiago
- #52 Mike Andrews
- #89 Russ Gibson
- #109 Jim Lonborg
- #130 Carl Yastrzemski
- #148 Lee Stange
- #172 Jerry Stephenson
- #189 Red Sox 1969 Rookie Stars
- #215 Rico Petrocelli
- #240 Ken Harrelson
- #264 Bill Landis
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1969 Topps #311 card?
It is card #311 of the 664-card 1969 Topps Baseball set, picturing Sparky Lyle of the Boston Red Sox.
Is 1969 Topps #311 a rookie card?
Yes - #311 is the 1969 Topps rookie card of Sparky Lyle.
How many cards are in the 1969 Topps Baseball set?
664 cards, tracked as 696 collectible states. Numbers run from 1 to 664 with none skipped and no printed number shared by two cards; 32 cards carry catalogued print variations that the master set counts separately, 23 of them the yellow- and white-letter name pairs of #440-511.
Sources: Trading Card Database, PSA CardFacts, Cardboard Connection, Baseball Almanac, Baseball-Reference, the SABR BioProject and the National Baseball Hall of Fame, PSA & SGC population reports. Card data compiled and maintained by T206Cards.com. Page last updated 2026-10-12.