Paperback version
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Author | Sparky Lyle, Peter Golenbock |
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Country | United States |
Language | English |
Subject | baseball |
Genre | autobiography |
Publisher | Crown Publishers |
Publication date
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1979 |
Media type | Print (Hardcover) |
Pages | 248 (first edition) |
ISBN |
The Bronx Zoo: The Astonishing Inside Story of the 1978 World Champion New York Yankees is a nonfiction book written by former Major League Baseball pitcher Sparky Lyle and Peter Golenbock. A memoir of Lyle's tenure with the New York Yankees, the book documents the 1978 New York Yankees season, including the 1978 World Series and conflicts between players. The book was published by Crown Publishers in 1979.
The term "Bronx Zoo" became a nickname for the Yankees teams of the late 1970s through early 1980s.
The Yankees won the 1977 World Series. Lyle, their closer, won the American League Cy Young Award that season, given to the league's best pitcher. However, Yankees owner George Steinbrenner acquired relief pitcher Goose Gossage from the Pittsburgh Pirates that offseason, giving him a larger salary than Lyle's. Though the Yankees wanted to have both Lyle and Gossage work late innings in games, it became apparent that the team would choose Gossage over Lyle in key situations. According to teammate Graig Nettles, Lyle went from "Cy Young to ". Lyle demanded a trade and a larger salary, but received neither. After the 1978 season, the Yankees traded Lyle to the Texas Rangers.
In the book, Lyle talks about his penchant for practical jokes. One of his favorite jokes was to sit, naked, on the birthday cake of a teammate.