A jack-of-all-trades, Lamp was an effective starter early in his career, led the White Sox in saves in 1983, and has pitched middle-relief almost exclusively since 1985. He joined the Cubs’ rotation in 1978 and pitched a one-hitter against San Diego June 9, finishing 7-15 with a 3.29 ERA. After a rocky 1980, in 1981 Lamp was traded to the White Sox; his 2.41 ERA was third-best in the AL. He also settled for a second one-hitter when Robin Yount led off the ninth inning with a double on August 25. Lamp was pitching in relief as well as starting for the White Sox, and in 1983 he saved 15 games for the AL West champions, then signed with the Blue Jays. At the time, the White Sox were entitled to compensation for losing a Type A free agent, and they selected the Mets’ Tom Seaver from the compensation pool in a move that stunned New York fans. In 1985 Lamp went 11-0 in relief for the Blue Jays, but his ERA swelled to 5.05 in 1986. He made the Red Sox’ pitching staff as a non-roster invitee to spring training in 1988.
