Lyman Bostock

Position: Outfielder
Bats: Left  •  Throws: Right
6-1, 180lb (185cm, 81kg)
Born: November 22, 1950 in Birmingham, AL
Died: September 24, 1978  in Gary, IN
Buried: Inglewood Park Cemetery, Inglewood, CA
High School: Manual Arts HS (Los Angeles, CA)
School: California State University, Northridge (Los Angeles, CA)
Debut: April 8, 1975 (13,610th in major league history)
vs. TEX 4 AB, 1 H, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB
Last Game: September 23, 1978
vs. CHW 4 AB, 2 H, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB
Full Name: Lyman Wesley Bostock
Nicknames: Abdul Jibber-Jabber
View Player Info from the B-R Bullpen
View Player Bio from the SABR BioProject
Relatives: Son of Lyman Bostock

Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1975

Willie Randolph
Jack Clark
Chet Lemon
Craig Reynolds
Dennis Eckersley
Roy Smalley
Ron Guidry
Donnie Moore
Lyman Bostock

All-Time Teammate Team

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Notable Events and Chronology

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July 11, 1976

In Boston’s 6 – 4 win over the Twins at Fenway Park, Minnesota CF Lyman Bostock drops Carl Yastrzemski’s long fly ball to deep center after a bucket of popcorn falls in his eyes.

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July 24, 1976

1976 – At Comiskey Park, the Twins roll over the White Sox, 17 – 2. Lyman Bostock is 4 for 4, hitting for the cycle.

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August 7, 1976

One strike away from throwing a no-hitter, Steve Luebber gives up a single to Roy Howell, who advances to third base on an error in center field by Lyman Bostock. The 27 year-old right-hander will yield another hit and a run before being replaced on the mound by reliever Bill Campbell in the Twins’ 3-1 victory over Texas at Arlington Stadium.

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November 4, 1977

1977 – The second free agent re-entry draft is held at the New York Plaza Hotel. Big names include Lyman Bostock, Goose Gossage, Larry Hisle, Mike Torrez and Oscar Gamble.

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September 23, 1978

While riding as a passenger in a car, Lyman Bostock is killed by the estranged husband of Barbara Smith, who mistakenly shoots the 27 year-old Angel outfielder in the right temple while attempting to murder his wife. After the first trial results in a hung jury, Leonard Smith, the perpetrator, is found not guilty by reason of insanity and will serve only seven months after the verdict, prompting the Indiana legislature to change the state’s laws regarding insanity.

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June 20, 1980

Lyman Bostock’s killer Leonard Smith is released

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January 12, 2021

The Life and Death of Lyman Bostock

Biography

Bostock, the son of Negro League player Lyman Bostock, Sr., appeared headed for stardom before he was fatally wounded in 1978. In 1976, he hit .323 and received the Calvin R. Griffith Award for the most improved Twin. In 1977, he finished second to teammate Rod Carew in the AL batting race (.336 to Carew’s .388). The well-liked Alabaman was shot in Gary, Indiana, in the back seat of a car driven by his uncle. Police later arrested the estranged husband of one of two women in the car. 

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Factoids, Quotes, Milestones and Odd Facts

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