Brandon Lyon, baseball player, 2001-2013

Brandon Lyon

Born: 8/10/1979 in Salt Lake City, UT, USA

MLB Debut: 2001-08-04 | Final Game: 2013-07-04

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'1" | Weight: 200 lbs

Full name: Brandon James Lyon

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Biography

Brandon Lyon, born in 1979, was a professional baseball pitcher whose career spanned from 2001 to 2013. He played for several Major League Baseball teams, including the Toronto Blue Jays, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Detroit Tigers. Throughout his career, Lyon was known for his reliable right-handed pitching, versatility as a reliever and closer, and his ability to perform under pressure. He accumulated a career record of 42-47 and maintained a respectable earned run average (ERA) of 4.16, while striking out 465 batters and securing 79 saves. Lyon's career unfolded during a transitional period in baseball, where teams increasingly relied on specialized relief pitchers. His contributions were particularly notable in the late 2000s, when he established himself as a dependable option in late-inning situations. Lyon's ability to close games effectively made him an asset to the teams he played for, and his performance helped shape the evolving role of relief pitchers in the modern game. After retiring in 2013, Lyon left behind a legacy as a skilled pitcher who adapted to the changing landscape of Major League Baseball.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
42 47 572 21 0 0 79 681.3 721 315 69 220 465 4.16 0

Career ERA 4.16 vs. league average 4.24 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
2001 TOR AL 5 4 11 11 0 0 0 63.0 63 30 15 35 4.29 4.42 (+3%) 765.0
2002 TOR AL 1 4 15 10 0 0 0 62.0 78 45 19 30 6.53 4.28 (-53%) -2618.2
2003 BOS AL 4 6 49 0 0 0 9 59.0 73 27 19 50 4.12 4.40 (+6%) 1005.1
2005 AZ NL 0 2 32 0 0 0 14 29.3 44 21 10 17 6.44 4.29 (-50%) -
2006 AZ NL 2 4 68 0 0 0 0 69.3 68 30 22 46 3.89 4.53 (+14%) -
2007 AZ NL 6 4 73 0 0 0 2 74.0 70 22 22 40 2.68 4.47 (+40%) -
2008 AZ NL 3 5 61 0 0 0 26 59.3 75 31 13 44 4.70 4.32 (-9%) -
2009 DET AL 6 5 65 0 0 0 3 78.7 56 25 31 57 2.86 4.32 (+34%) 516.8
2010 HOU NL 6 6 79 0 0 0 20 78.0 68 27 31 54 3.12 4.08 (+24%) 1474.8
2011 HOU NL 3 3 15 0 0 0 4 13.3 27 17 5 6 11.47 3.94 (-191%) -1072.3
2012 HOU NL 0 2 37 0 0 0 0 36.0 37 13 11 35 3.25 4.01 (+19%) 632.6
2012 TOR AL 4 0 30 0 0 0 1 25.0 19 8 9 28 2.88 4.01 (+28%) 577.9
2013 NYN NL 2 2 37 0 0 0 0 34.3 43 19 13 23 4.98 3.87 (-29%) -98.9

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
572 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1.000 1.000 2.000 3.000 0.0

Career AVG .000 vs. league average .262 across their career seasons — +282.4% above league average.

Career OBP .000 vs. league average .329 across their career seasons — +204.0% above league average.

Career SLG .000 vs. league average .415 across their career seasons — +382.2% above league average.

Career OPS 3.000 vs. league average 0.744 across their career seasons — +303.4% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
2001 TOR AL 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2002 TOR AL 15 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2003 BOS AL 49 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2005 AZ NL 32 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2006 AZ NL 68 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2007 AZ NL 73 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2008 AZ NL 61 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2009 DET AL 65 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2010 HOU NL 79 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2011 HOU NL 15 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 1.000 — — — — 0.0
2012 HOU NL 37 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2012 TOR AL 30 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2013 NYN NL 37 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
2007 NLCS ARI 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
2007 NLDS1 ARI 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
0 0 5 0 0 6.0 1 0 1 5 0.00

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
2007 NLCS ARI 0 0 2 0 0 3.0 0 0 0 4 0.00
2007 NLDS1 ARI 0 0 3 0 0 3.0 1 0 1 1 0.00

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 572 21 51 94 6 6

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
2001 TOR P 11 11 3 9 0 0
2002 TOR P 15 10 5 12 1 1
2003 BOS P 49 0 3 7 1 0
2005 ARI P 32 0 2 4 0 0
2006 ARI P 68 0 1 8 0 1
2007 ARI P 73 0 3 9 1 1
2008 ARI P 61 0 4 4 0 0
2009 DET P 65 0 10 16 0 2
2010 HOU P 79 0 12 12 2 0
2011 HOU P 15 0 4 3 0 1
2012 HOU P 37 0 1 2 0 0
2012 TOR P 30 0 2 3 0 0
2013 NYN P 37 0 1 5 1 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 572

Salary History

Year Team League Salary
2013 NYN NL $750,000
2012 HOU NL $5,500,000
2011 HOU NL $5,250,000
2010 HOU NL $4,250,000
2009 DET AL $4,250,000
2008 ARI NL $3,125,000
2007 ARI NL $1,500,000
2006 ARI NL $830,000
2005 ARI NL $330,000
2004 ARI NL $330,000
2003 BOS AL $309,500
2002 TOR AL $221,000
Total Career Earnings $26,645,500

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
Dixie State College of Utah St. George UT 1999, 2000