RetroSimba

Though his reputation as an unwitting villain remained intact in franchise lore, Barry Lyons was welcomed into the Cardinals organization.

On Jan. 4, 1993, the Cardinals signed Lyons, a free agent, and invited him to spring training to compete for a job as backup to Gold Glove catcher Tom Pagnozzi.

Six years earlier, the notion of Lyons joining the Cardinals would have seemed unimaginable to some.

On Easter Sunday, April 19, 1987, Lyons took a place alongside umpire Don Denkinger and other perceived wrongdoers among Cardinals faithful when he barreled into the dugout while pursuing a foul ball and crashed into John Tudor, shattering a bone in the right leg of the St. Louis pitching ace.

Though Tudor returned in August and won eight of nine decisions, helping the Cardinals win the 1987 National League East Division crown on their way to their third pennant in six years, Lyons remained vilified for his role in the injury to one of St. Louis’ best players.

When the Cardinals signed Lyons, Tudor no longer was in the organization. He was a minor-league pitching instructor for the Phillies.

Stocking up

Lyons played in the big leagues for the Mets (1986-1990), Dodgers (1990-1991) and Angels (1991). He spent the 1992 season with the Tucson Toros, Class AAA affiliate of the Astros, and caught for a staff that included future Cardinals pitchers Darryl Kile and Dave Veres.

Rich Gedman, Pagnozzi’s backup with the 1992 Cardinals, became a free agent after the season. The Cardinals signed three veteran catchers _ Lyons, Erik Pappas, and Hector Villanueva _ as contenders to replace Gedman. Villanueva had been released by the Cubs. Pappas, another ex-Cub, had become a free agent after playing in the minor-league systems of the Royals and White Sox in 1992.

Cardinals manager Joe Torre liked Villanueva because he hit 13 home runs for the Cubs in 1991, but all three newcomers were expected to have shots at winning the reserve catcher role in spring training.

“We were looking for somebody to back up our catching situation and Barry Lyons and Erik Pappas are two experienced guys who were out there,” Cardinals general manager Dal Maxvill said to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in January 1993. “… I know Joe is interested in Hector being the guy because of his home run potential, but Lyons and Pappas give us added insurance we really didn’t have last year.”

Pappas promoted

On March 7, 1993, Villanueva strained a hamstring. Lyons and Pappas each had a productive spring training and stuck with the Cardinals until being sent to Class AAA Louisville when final roster cuts were made on April 3, 1993.

Lyons and Pappas each performed well at Louisville. On April 25, 1993, Lyons hit a three-run home run with two outs in the ninth inning, lifting Louisville to a 6-5 victory over Omaha.

However, when Pagnozzi injured his left knee on May 9, 1993, and needed arthroscopic surgery to repair cartilage damage, the Cardinals called up Pappas rather than Lyons. Pappas was hitting .338 with 13 RBI in 21 games for Louisville. His batting mark with runners in scoring position was .579 (11-for-19).

For the next month, Pappas was the Cardinals’ starting catcher with Villanueva in reserve, while Lyons remained in Louisville.

When Pagnozzi returned to the lineup June 17, 1993, Villanueva was sent to Louisville and Pappas stayed with the Cardinals as the backup catcher.

Left out

With Louisville stocked with catchers, Lyons moved to first base and thrived. He hit .324 in July after being sidelined for 10 days in June because of a thumb injury.

On Aug. 12, 1993, Lyons hit a two-run home run in the ninth, snapping a 4-4 tie and leading Louisville to a 6-4 triumph over Oklahoma City. “With the possibility of getting called up by St. Louis in September, it’s a good time to get hot,” Lyons said to the Louisville Courier-Journal.

Lyons went on to lead the 1993 Louisville Redbirds in home runs (18) and was second on the club in RBI (65). He played in 107 games, including 51 at first base, and batted .269.

However, when major-league rosters expanded in September, Lyons was not promoted to St. Louis. Instead, the Cardinals called up catcher Marc Ronan from Class AA Arkansas. Disappointed, Lyons asked for and was given his release.

Lyons signed with the Reds, spent 1994 in the minors and resurfaced in the major leagues in 1995 with the White Sox.

Previously: A rough and tumble Easter for John Tudor

Previously: Erik Pappas experienced extremes as Cardinals catcher