Sparky Lyle: where are they now? Former relief Ace: American League 1977 Cy Young Award winner recalls how Ted Williams gave him sound advice when breaking in with the Red Sox.

SPARKY LYLE, WHO MADE A BIG name for himself in major league baseball as a relief pitcher, obtained the best piece of advice on pitching that he ever received from one of the game's greatest hitters.

Hall of Famer Ted Williams, the last major leaguer to hit .400 in a single season, was at the Boston Red Sox Winter Haven, Florida spring training site when Lyle broke into the majors with the Red Sox back in 1965.

"Ted Williams told me that I'd never make the big leagues unless I came up with a slider," Lyle recalled. "I had a pretty good curve, but I couldn't throw a fastball over the plate.

"Ted Williams told me the slider was the one pitch he couldn't hit," Lyle said. "Ted Williams knew a lot about baseball, and when you hear something from a guy like that, you're going to try to do something about it."

Lyle worked on developing the slider for the next two years, and became proficient enough with the pitch that the Red Sox summoned him to the major leagues in 1967.

"About two months after I perfected the slider in 1967, I was called up to the major leagues," Lyle said. "I threw the pitch so it would come straight at the batter until it got to within three feet of the plate. Then it would break down. It was an excellent pitch for double plays. I was a ground-ball pitcher, and that's how I got batters to hit ground balls."

A left-hander with a prominent handlebar mustache, Lyle used the slider to become one of the most dominant relief pitchers of his era during a 16-year career that included tours of duty with the Red Sox, New York Yankees, Texas Rangers, Philadelphia Phillies, and Chicago White Sox.