Stephen John Lyons (born June 3, 1960) is an American former professional baseball player who previously worked as a television sportscaster for the New England Sports Network (NESN).
He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for four teams over a period of nine seasons (1985–1993), including four stints with the Boston Red Sox.
His father, Richard Lyons, was a star athlete at Hudson High School in Massachusetts,[1] who encouraged him to play baseball.
[4] Lyons made his major league debut with the Red Sox on April 15, as a pinch runner at age 24.
[6] Starting in early June, Lyons became Boston's regular center fielder; he went on to play 133 games with the 1985 Red Sox, batting .264 with five home runs and 30 RBIs.
During 1987, Lyons split time between Chicago and their Triple-A affiliate, the Hawaii Islanders of the Pacific Coast League.
In parts of five seasons with the White Sox, Lyons appeared in 497 games, batting .255 with nine home runs and 131 RBIs.
He also has the rare distinction of having played all nine defensive positions in a single game at the major league level, although in an exhibition contest.
Lyons's final MLB game was on October 3, when he played right field and second base in a 14-inning loss to the Milwaukee Brewers.
Lyons's overall MLB career totals include a .252 batting average, 19 home runs, and 196 RBIs in 853 games.
He appeared twice as a relief pitcher, giving up four hits and one run in three innings pitched for a 3.00 ERA, while walking four and striking out two.
[12] He was known for such eccentricities as playing tic-tac-toe and hangman against opposing players during games, using spikes to mark the infield dirt.
After sliding headfirst into first base to beat out a bunt hit, Lyons pulled down his pants to empty the dirt out and brush off his shirttail.
Although wearing sliding shorts under his White Sox uniform, this incident earned him another nickname, "Moon Man" Lyons.
Lyons himself once stated, "We've got this pitcher, Mélido Pérez, who earlier this month pitched a no-hitter, and I'll guarantee you he didn't do two live television shots afterward.
Lyons said Piniella was "hablaing Español" – Spanglish for "speaking Spanish" – and added, "I still can't find my wallet.
[29] Lyons made his debut video game appearance as a broadcaster in All-Star Baseball 2005 along with Thom Brennaman.
Lyons maligned outfielder Shawn Green, who is Jewish, for sitting out a game on Yom Kippur in 2004, saying, "He's not even a practicing Jew.
In August 2006, while working an Angels-Yankees game, Lyons discussed Italian American Yankees' catcher Sal Fasano, and the fact that he had to shave his mustache to accommodate owner George Steinbrenner's grooming code.
"[31] Lyons and fellow sportscaster Thom Brennaman made fun of a 64-year-old New York Mets fan wearing an unusual device over his eyes at a game during Game 2 of the 2006 National League Division Series between the Mets and Dodgers, with Lyons saying, "He's got a digital camera stuck to his face."
The man turned out to be nearly blind, except for limited peripheral vision in one eye, and he was wearing a JORDY, a magnifying device that helped him to see the game.