Lyman Bostock was born on Wednesday, November 22, 1950, in Birmingham, Alabama. Bostock was 24 years old when he broke into the big leagues on April 8, 1975, with the Minnesota Twins. His biographical data, year-by-year hitting stats, fielding stats, pitching stats (where applicable), career totals, uniform numbers, salary data and miscellaneous items-of-interest are presented by Baseball Almanac on this comprehensive Lyman Bostock baseball stats page.
"Lyman Bostock Jr. had baseball in his blood. The son of a former Negro League standout, Bostock began his professional career with the Minnesota Twins in 1975. Two years later, he became one of the first players in major league baseball to cash in on the new era of free agency, signing with the California Angels for more than $2 million—one of the richest contracts in sports history at that time. But Bostock’s true potential would never be known. On September 23, 1978, Bostock was shot and killed in Gary, Indiana. He was just 27 years old." - Amazon Book Description (Lyman Bostock: The Inspiring Life and Tragic Death of a Ballplayer)
Lyman BostockLyman Bostock Autograph on a 1977 Topps Baseball Card (#531 | Checklist) |
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Biographical Data | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Lyman BostockLyman Bostock Pitching Stats |
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Year | Age | Team | G | GS | GF | W | L | PCT | ERA | CG | SHO | SV | IP | BFP | H | ER | R | HR | BB | IBB | SO | WP | HB | BK | HLD |
- | - | Did Not Pitch | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Career | G | GS | GF | W | L | PCT | ERA | CG | SHO | SV | IP | BFP | H | ER | R | HR | BB | IBB | SO | WP | HB | BK | HLD |
Lyman BostockLyman Bostock Hitting Stats |
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Year | Age | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | GRSL | RBI | BB | IBB | SO | SH | SF | HBP | GIDP | AVG | OBP | SLG |
1975 | 25 | Twins | 98 | 369 | 52 | 104 | 21 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 28 | 2 | 42 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 7 | .282 | .331 | .366 |
1976 | 26 | Twins | 128 | 474 | 75 | 153 | 21 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 60 | 33 | 5 | 37 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 15 | .323 | .364 | .430 |
1977 | 27 | Twins | 153 | 593 | 104 | 199 | 36 | 12 | 14 | 0 | 90 | 51 | 5 | 59 | 2 | 8 | 6 | 16 | .336 | .389 | .508 |
1978 | 28 | Angels | 147 | 568 | 74 | 168 | 24 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 71 | 59 | 8 | 36 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 26 | .296 | .362 | .379 |
Career | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | GRSL | RBI | BB | IBB | SO | SH | SF | HBP | GIDP | AVG | OBP | SLG | ||
4 Years | 526 | 2,004 | 305 | 624 | 102 | 30 | 23 | 0 | 250 | 171 | 20 | 174 | 10 | 20 | 9 | 64 | .311 | .365 | .427 |
Lyman BostockLyman Bostock Fielding Stats |
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Team | POS | G | GS | OUTS | TC | TC/G | CH | PO | A | E | DP | PB | CASB | CACS | FLD% | RF |
1975 Twins | CF | 28 | 27 | 706 | 74 | 2.6 | 73 | 72 | 1 | 1 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .986 | 2.79 |
1975 Twins | LF | 12 | 11 | 285 | 31 | 2.6 | 31 | 30 | 1 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 2.94 |
1975 Twins | RF | 55 | 51 | 1,391 | 87 | 1.6 | 85 | 84 | 1 | 2 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .977 | 1.65 |
1976 Twins | CF | 121 | 110 | 2,994 | 331 | 2.7 | 327 | 317 | 10 | 4 | 2 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .988 | 2.95 |
1976 Twins | RF | 3 | 3 | 54 | 4 | 1.3 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 2.00 |
1977 Twins | CF | 90 | 83 | 2,228 | 229 | 2.5 | 227 | 221 | 6 | 2 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .991 | 2.75 |
1977 Twins | LF | 60 | 58 | 1,575 | 130 | 2.2 | 128 | 124 | 4 | 2 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .985 | 2.19 |
1977 Twins | RF | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1.0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 9.00 |
1978 Angels | CF | 58 | 57 | 1,499 | 179 | 3.1 | 177 | 174 | 3 | 2 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .989 | 3.19 |
1978 Angels | RF | 90 | 86 | 2,322 | 201 | 2.2 | 199 | 195 | 4 | 2 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .990 | 2.31 |
Career | POS | G | GS | OUTS | TC | TC/G | CH | PO | A | E | DP | PB | CASB | CACS | FLD% | RF |
CF Totals | 297 | 277 | 7,427 | 813 | 2.7 | 804 | 784 | 20 | 9 | 4 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .989 | 2.92 | |
RF Totals | 149 | 140 | 3,770 | 293 | 2.0 | 289 | 284 | 5 | 4 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .986 | 2.07 | |
LF Totals | 72 | 69 | 1,860 | 161 | 2.2 | 159 | 154 | 5 | 2 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .988 | 2.31 | |
4 Years | 518 | 486 | 13,057 | 1,267 | 2.4 | 1,252 | 1,222 | 30 | 15 | 5 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .988 | 2.59 |
Lyman BostockLyman Bostock Miscellaneous Stats |
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Baserunning Statistics | Other Positions | Common Hitting Ratios | Common Pitching Ratios | |||||||||
Team | SB | CS | SB% | PH | PR | DH | AB/HR | AB/K | AB/RBI | K/BB | K/9 | BB/9 |
1975 Twins | 2 | 3 | .400 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 0.0 | 8.8 | 12.7 | - | - | - |
1976 Twins | 12 | 6 | .667 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 118.5 | 12.8 | 7.9 | - | - | - |
1977 Twins | 16 | 7 | .696 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 42.4 | 10.1 | 6.6 | - | - | - |
1978 Angels | 15 | 12 | .556 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 113.6 | 15.8 | 8.0 | - | - | - |
Career | SB | CS | SB% | PH | PR | DH | AB/HR | AB/K | AB/RBI | K/BB | K/9 | BB/9 |
4 Years | 45 | 28 | .616 | 27 | 9 | 2 | 87.1 | 11.5 | 8.0 | - | - | - |
Lyman BostockLyman Bostock Miscellaneous Items of Interest |
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Team | Roster | Uniform Numbers | Salary | All-Star | World Series |
1975 Minnesota Twins | 10 | $15,000.00 | - | - |
1976 Minnesota Twins | 10 | $25,000.00 | - | - |
1977 Minnesota Twins | 10 | $20,000.00 | - | - |
1978 California Angels | 10 | $150,000.00 | - | - |
Lyman Bostock Stats by Baseball Almanac |
Did you know that Lyman Bostock tied the Major League record for putouts in a 9-inning game by a center fielder on May 25, 1977, a record that still stands through today and has been tied only once? Do you know what Red Sox player tied Bostock? [Answer]
Lyman Bostock hit for the cycle on July 24, 1976, the fourth player in a Minnesota Twins uniform to complete a cycle, the second lefty hitter. Hall of Famer Rod Carew was first! A year later (1977), Bostock emerged as one of the best hitters in baseball, finishing with a .336 batting average, second best in the American League, behind Rod Carew. [Top 25]
Lyman Bostock Cycle | The Bakersfield Californian | July 25, 1976 | Page 25
In November 1977, Lyman Bostock told the media, "If they had offered me that (6-year, $2 million contact) at the beginning of the season, I'd have signed. But by the end I just didn't want to stay there. I'd be defeating the purpose of what Curt Flood has done for the players. He wanted everybody to be able to enjoy the beauty and the freedom of the game. If it wasn't for the owner (Clark Griffith), Minnesota would be a great place to play." The Yankees offered $6.25 million. The Padres matched the Twins and offered him McDonald's franchises. Bostock took his bat to the Angels, received a $250,000 bonus up front, a $150,000 contract, and $2.3 million over the next five years! What happened next? Bostock was murdered:
Lyman Bostock Murdered | The Los Angeles Times | September 23, 1999 | Page B5