Lysander was drafted by the Oakland Athletics in 1974, and he toiled in the minors for several years before finally pitching five games for the A's in 1980.

The Astros traded him on to the Minnesota Twins for Bob Veselic the following off-season, and in 1983 Rick was back in the majors.

Lysander didn't give up on pitching entirely, and eventually found a home in the Senior Professional Baseball Association.

This earned him a minor league contract with the Toronto Blue Jays, and he pitched in ten games for the Syracuse Chiefs that season before retiring.

Rick's son, Brent, pitched in the A's minor league organization in 2007-08, and for the independent Lake Erie Crushers in 2009.