My First Cards

When I look at this card of Lee Lacy, I can just hear him thinking “Are you kidding?”. His expression just looks like he’s in a bit of disbelief of what he’s lookin’ at or just heard. Interestingly, that expression could sum up his 1982 season as a Pirate.

Entering the ’82 season, Lacy averaged 82 games a year and was just utility man or backup player, never playing more than 109 games in a season. He once hit 5 pinch hit HR’s in a season. Despite his non-star status, he’d been fortunate enough to play in 4 World Series between ’74-’79 and being a part of the “We Are Family” Pirates. Even without being a star, he was just the kind of player you wanted on your team, to add depth.

He had a career year in 1980, but in ’81, he fell down with a .268 average and a measly .307 OBP, at the age of 33. It looked like this once solid backup player’s skills were beginning to fade after having a career year.

So nobody expected that in 1982 he’d play 121 games (mostly in RF) and post his 2nd highest OBP of his career (.369)! He was better as a starter than a substitution. When he started a game, he hit .331/.380/.448, but when he sub’d, he was awful— .167/.294/.167. No wonder manager Chuck Tanner penciled Lacy in as a starter for 80 of the 121 games Lacy played in. He didn’t have a lot of power, but he stole a career high 40 bases. I think many a Pirates fan thought— “Are you kidding??”

Delving into his 1982 splits even more, Lacy wasn’t just a good hitter, he was a dangerous hitter. If he came to bat with RISP (Runners In Scoring Position), he got on base 42% of the time. In fact, 35 times he came to plate when there weren’t just RISP but also 2 outs, and he put up a batting line of .333/.385/.500. Which is plain awesome. He proved to be one of the toughest outs in the Pirates lineup.

Amazingly, he was at his best against some of the best teams in the National League. He smacked the Phillies and Dodgers pitching around hard. He batted a combined .418 against them in 26 games. Against the Phillies alone, he had a .500 OBP!! He also hit well against the ’82 World Series Champion Cardinals.

The most unique moment of Lee Lacy’s 1982 season though, came against the Cincinnati Reds on May 14. With 1 out in the bottom of the 8th, the Pirates down by 2 but had Walton on 3rd, Berra on 2nd, and the speedy Moreno on 1st. The Reds brought Tom Hume in from the bullpen to face Lacy, and Lacy made them pay. He smacked a grand slam over the centerfield wall. On the way to 2nd though, Lacy passed Moreno!! So Lacy was officially given a single and called out on his way to second. Still, he drove in 3 runs and the Pirates won 8-7.

After ’82, he played a couple more seasons in Pittsburgh, which included a very good 1984. He signed with Baltimore after that, and played through 1987. For his career, he posted a 107 OPS+, so he was a little above average over the course of his 16 major league seasons.

3 random Lee Lacy facts….

• In the 1977 World Series, he hit .429 while gettin’ on base at a .500 clip.
• Finished 2nd to Tony Gwynn in the 1984 NL Batting race.
• His daughter Jennifer, plays basketball in the WNBA.