[1] Lynn was born in Chicago, and graduated from El Monte High School located in Los Angeles County in 1969.

He led the American League (AL) in doubles, runs scored, and slugging percentage, finished second in batting (Rod Carew of the Minnesota Twins hit .359), and won a Gold Glove Award for his defensive play.

[4] Lynn and fellow rookie outfielder Jim Rice were dubbed the "Gold Dust Twins".

[5] In the 1975 World Series, which Boston lost in seven games to the Cincinnati Reds, Lynn batted 7-for-25 (.280) with a home run and five RBIs.

In January 1981, Lynn and Steve Renko were traded to the Angels for Frank Tanana, Jim Dorsey, and Joe Rudi.

In 1982, Lynn and the Angels won the AL West division and made the playoffs, but lost in the 1982 ALCS to the Milwaukee Brewers in 5 games.

In 1981, Lawrence Ritter and Donald Honig included Lynn in their book, The 100 Greatest Baseball Players of All Time.

[10] A free agent following the 1984 season, Lynn defied expectations that he would continue his career with a West Coast team by accepting the best offer and signing a five-year $6.8 million contract with the Baltimore Orioles on December 11.

[11][12] His signing, along with that of Lee Lacy and Don Aase, cost the ballclub three of its top five picks in the 1985 MLB Draft and was part of Edward Bennett Williams' ill-fated attempt to buy championships which only resulted in last-place finishes in 1986 and 1988.

[13][14] Lynn's time in Baltimore was most noted for his complaints about the Orioles' caps which he called "the hat with the funny little duck on it" due to the smiling cartoon bird on the front.

[15] Lynn played for the Orioles from the start of the 1985 seasons through August 1988, appearing in a total of 434 games while batting .265 with 87 home runs and 232 RBIs.

On August 31, 1988, the Orioles traded Lynn to the Detroit Tigers for Chris Hoiles, Cesar Mejia, and Robinson Garces.

He has also been a spokesman for Gillette and MasterCard, and occasionally entertains clients at Red Sox games from the Legends Skybox at Fenway Park.

Lynn was inducted into the USC Hall of Fame in 1994,[24] and was selected by fans to the Red Sox' All-Fenway Team in 2012.