Utah pitcher wants to help the Tigers roar

Salt Lake native Brandon Lyon admits it — he has the best job in the world.

Lyon just completed spring training in Florida for the Detroit Tigers in preparation for his ninth season as a pitcher in Major League Baseball.

"For me, it was never really about making a living playing baseball, it was always about just getting to the Major Leagues," said the 29-year-old hurler. "I just loved playing baseball, and I wanted to play in the Majors. Getting paid to do it is just a bonus. I get to live a dream that any kid that ever played baseball has. I feel very lucky."

The right-hander's trek toward MLB began in Little League and continued during his high school days, when he was a shortstop and pitcher at Taylorsville High School. He was a standout player as he led the Warriors to the 1996 5A state title and was named the Deseret News MVP as a junior.

"He was the MVP, but it really wasn't just because of his pitching," said his prep coach Steve Cramblitt. "He was a good athlete, and I am sure he could have played in college as a field player. The thing that stood out more about Brandon than anything else, though, was his desire to win. His competitiveness really stood out even back then. I am sure that is what has made him able to be a closer at the pro level, that mental edge."

Lyon agrees that one of the things that allows him to get outs against the best hitters in the world is not necessarily a physical trait.

"I don't think my 'stuff' is necessary the best around, but I think that I have confidence in it, and my desire to get it done helps get me through," he said. "A lot of it is mental, being able to will yourself to get the job done and then having good enough stuff to get guys out."

Although he was a good high school pitcher, Lyon wasn't convinced that was his calling until he moved on Dixie College, which was a junior college at the time. It was there that he made the switch to pitching full time, and it has proved to be a wise decision ever since.

"It was my first year in college, and I had a snowboarding injury," said Lyon. "My coaches and I talked about it and decided that it would be tough to try to pitch and then come back and play in the field just coming off surgery, so I made the decision to only pitch.

"It was also there that I really learned how to pitch," he added. "In high school, I could get by just throwing strikes. I never really had to think about the actual pitching as much, the strategy and what it really means to pitch. The Littlewoods, Mike and Dave that were my coaches down at Dixie, really taught me a lot about what it means to pitch, how to really approach the game as a pitcher. It was there that I started to become a real pitcher."