1979 Topps #365 Sparky Lyle
About Sparky Lyle
Lyle went 9-3 with a 3.47 ERA in 111 2/3 innings for New York in 1978. His 1979 Topps #365 still shows him with the Yankees after his November 10, 1978 trade to Texas. The 10-player deal sent Dave Righetti to New York. Lyle shared closing duties with Jim Kern and saved 13 games for the Rangers in 1979.
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 · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 201 | 21 | 98 | 47 | 9 | 14 | 9 | 3 | 0 |
| SGC | 7 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 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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Related cards
Team card: #626 New York Yankees / Bob Lemon
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- #35 Ed Figueroa
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- #89 Dick Tidrow
- #114 Cliff Johnson
- #140 Don Gullett
- #159 Roy White
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- #202 Ron Guidry
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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1979 Topps #365 card?
It is card #365 of the 726-card 1979 Topps Baseball set, picturing Sparky Lyle of the New York Yankees.
How many cards are in the 1979 Topps Baseball set?
726 cards, numbered 1 through 726 with none skipped and issued as a single series, tracked as 727 collectible states: #369 Bump Wills comes with a Rangers or a Blue Jays team banner, and the master set counts both.
Sources: Trading Card Database, PSA, 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.