Tyler Lyons

Tyler William Lyons (born February 21, 1988) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the New York Yankees organization.

He attended Oklahoma State University (OSU) at Stillwater and played college baseball for the Cowboys.

Lyons attended Oklahoma State University where he majored in sport management and played baseball for the Cowboys from 2007 to 2010.

In 2008 he posted 12 wins, fourth-best nationally, while earning second-team All-Big 12 honors.

He was strong in the classroom as well, being named first-team Academic All-Big 12.

In the summer of 2008, Lyons was chosen to play for Team USA.

His 11 appearances without giving up an earned run helped the team to a 24-0 record and a gold medal in the FISU World Championships.

The New York Yankees selected him in the 10th round of the 2009 amateur draft, but he chose to remain at OSU.

The next year, the St. Louis Cardinals made him a ninth round pick, and he signed.

Along with the Yankees, he has played in MLB for the St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates.

In 2009 Lyons tied for the team lead with seven wins, while earning an All-Big 12 honorable mention.

He played collegiate summer baseball in 2009 for the Chatham Anglers of the Cape Cod Baseball League.

The New York Yankees drafted Lyons in the 10th round of the 2009 amateur draft, but he chose to return to OSU.

The Cardinals selected him in the ninth round in 2010, and he signed.

Lyons signed too late to play in the Cardinals minor league system in 2010; however, in 2011 he pitched for the Palm Beach Cardinals of the Florida State League.

In 2011, while pitching for the Palm Beach Cardinals of the Florida State League in the minor leagues, Lyons pitched the first no-hitter in team history.

He is a three-time recipient of the Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Week Award.

Born in Lubbock, Texas, Lyons attended Frenship High School where he was a multi-sport athlete.

He lettered in football for three years.

On the baseball field, Lyons was a two-time district MVP and was named All-City Player of the Year his senior season by the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal.

On August 8, 2011, he threw the first no-hitter in Palm Beach's history, a 10–0 win over the Fort Myers Miracle.

Lyons struck out eight and faced two batters over the minimum in his eighth career professional start.

He finished the 2011 season with an overall record of 9-4 with an ERA of 4.50 over 94 innings pitched.

Lyons split the 2012 season between the Cardinals Double-A affiliate Springfield Cardinals of the Texas League and Triple-A Memphis Redbirds of the Pacific Coast League (PCL).

In 12 starts for Springfield, he was 5-4 with a 3.92 ERA.

Lyons struggled to adjust, however, after moving up to Memphis, going just 4-9 with a 4.28 ERA over 88 innings (15 starts) for the Redbirds.

Lyons started the 2013 season with Memphis, posting a record of 2–1 in eight starts with a 4.47 ERA prior to his first major league call-up.

He made his major league debut with the Cardinals on May 22, 2013, against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park, allowing one run and four hits over seven innings as the Cardinals won, 5–3.

After winning his first two games, Lyons began to struggle on the mound.

On June 22 the Cardinals optioned Lyons to Triple A Memphis and called up Michael Blazek.

In his previous four starts, Lyons gave up at least four earned runs in each start and saw his ERA climb to 5.51; his ultimate appearance lasted just 1 2⁄3 innings on June 21 against the Texas Rangers.

Lyons made six more appearances – two starts – in the rest of 2013, and finished the year 2–4 with a 4.75 ERA in 12 games.

The Cardinals appeared in the World Series, but left Lyons off the playoff roster.

Beginning the 2014 season again in Memphis, Lyons made three starts before the Cardinals recalled him on April 21 to replace the injured Joe Kelly in the rotation.

He made four starts with two relief appearances sandwiched between as the temporary fifth starter, going 0–3 with a 6.12 ERA and 23 strikeouts in 25 innings.

Following a May 12 start in which he gave up 9 runs in 4 innings pitched, he was placed on the disabled list with a shoulder strain, and replaced in the rotation by Jaime García.

Lyons pitched most of the rest of the season in Memphis, where he had a six-game streak of winning his starts.

In St. Louis in 2014, Lyons went 0-4 in 11 appearances (four starts), posting a 4.42 ERA with 36 strikeouts and a 1.200 WHIP.

Filling roles as a sixth starter and swingman in 2015, the Cardinals recalled Lyons from Memphis to replace injured starters, including Adam Wainwright and Lance Lynn.

After a brief stint in April, the club optioned Lyons back to Memphis.