1972 Topps #259 Sparky Lyle
About Sparky Lyle
New York acquired Lyle from Boston on March 22, 1972, for Danny Cater and a player to be named later, Mario Guerrero. His second-series Topps #259 still pictured the Red Sox. Lyle saved 35 games for the Yankees, setting American League and major league left-hander records. He went 9-5 with a 1.92 ERA in 107 2/3 innings, finished third in MVP voting and won The Sporting News Fireman of the Year award.
Sparky Lyle pitched all 899 games of his 16-season major league career in relief. He finished with 238 saves, a 2.88 ERA and a 99-76 record. The left-hander played for Boston, the Yankees, Texas, Philadelphia and the White Sox. Baltimore signed him in 1964, and Boston selected him in the first-year draft that November. Ted Williams described the slider to Lyle at spring training in 1966; Lyle worked out how to throw it and made it his principal pitch. With New York, he became the first American League reliever to win the Cy Young Award in 1977. He coauthored "The Bronx Zoo" with Peter Golenbock in 1979. From 1998 through 2012, he managed the Somerset Patriots, winning five Atlantic League championships.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 456 | 19 | 129 | 234 | 39 | 24 | 2 | 8 | 1 |
| SGC | 19 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
Graded population — a scarcity guide, not a price. Data as of 2026-10-19. 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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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1972 Topps #259 card?
It is card #259 of the 787-card 1972 Topps Baseball set, picturing Sparky Lyle of the Boston Red Sox.
How many cards are in the 1972 Topps Baseball set?
787 cards, tracked as 794 collectible states. Numbers run from 1 to 787 with none skipped, in six print series (#1-132, #133-263, #264-394, #395-525, #526-656 and #657-787, the high numbers); 7 cards carry catalogued print variations that the master set counts separately - four Chicago Cubs cards with yellow or green under the "C" and "S" of the team name, the #251 and #478 checklists with smaller or larger print on the front, and the #604 checklist with its copyright line aligned right or left.
Sources: Trading Card Database, PSA CardFacts, BaseballCardPedia, 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 2026-10-25.