[1] Because of limited range in the field and an inability to hit left-handed pitchers consistently at the plate, Lynch never played more than 122 games in any season.

"The best pinch hitter I ever saw, by far, no question, has to be Smoky Burgess," Lynch said of his former Reds and Pirates teammate in a 1994 Baseball Digest story.

After two years in the military, he returned to lead the Class B Piedmont League in batting average (.333), slugging percentage (.592), hits (180), triples (22) and RBI (133).

Despite his obvious potential, there was little chance for advancement to the veteran-laden Yankees parent club, and the Pirates selected him in the Rule 5 Draft after the season.

It was there that team broadcaster Jim Woods referred to him as The Allison Park Sweeper because of his suburban Pittsburgh residence and quick, productive bat.

Lynch struck his final homer on August 12, 1966, a pinch-hit solo blast against the Reds that tied the score in the ninth inning of an eventual 14-11 victory in Cincinnati.

Lynch had a remarkable 1961 season, when his timely hits repeatedly bailed out the Reds in a tight NL pennant race.

His 25 RBI tied a major league record that Joe Cronin (Boston Red Sox) had set in the 1943 season and Rusty Staub (New York Mets) equalled in the 1983 campaign.

On September 26 in Chicago, Lynch propelled the Reds into the World Series with a two-run home run off Cubs pitcher Bob Anderson, scoring teammate Vada Pinson ahead of him.

Lynch did not start any of the World Series games against New York, however, even though Yankee Stadium was an easy mark for left-handed pull hitters with power.

Two days later, however, The Pittsburgh Press reported that Lynch and athletic director Jerry Conboy could not agree to contract terms.