Lucky Hall Of Famer Number 32 - Ted Lyons

    Ted Lyons pitched from 1923 through 1946 for the Chicago White Sox, missing three seasons to Military Service during World War II. He was a mainstay in the rotation, but not a Hall of Famer. 

    Let's start out on the positive side. Lyons twice led the AL in wins, had marvelous control, and won an ERA title in 1942 at the age of 41. He pitched 21 seasons in the Majors and compiled 260 lifetime wins. 

    This all sounds nice, and would normally constitute a Hall of Fame career, but there are some fundamental drawbacks in Lyons's Hall of Fame case. First off, he lost 230 games, giving him a winning percentage of .531, one of the lowest percentages among Hall of Fame starting pitchers. Lyons also had five full seasons with an ERA over 4.00, including a 5.14 mark in 1936, which brings his career ERA all the way up to 3.67, which is also one of the worst among Hall of Fame starters. Finally, he had more walks than strikeouts (1,121 to 1,073), which devastates his already iffy case. 

My opinion: Ted Lyons is not a Hall of Famer.