The Angels saw plenty of Bob Lacey as an opposing pitcher on the Oakland A's teams of the late 1970s. In fact, no American League reliever made more appearances from 1977-78 than the left-hander from Tucson, Arizona.Later, the Angels got a look at Lacey up close when they signed him in March 1983. Lacey would spend all of that season, and the following spring training, with the Angels organization, appearing in eight games out of the bullpen.Lacey died recently according to Rocco Constantino of BallNine.com. Several former teammates and friends confirmed his passing on Facebook. He was 72.A 10th-round MLB Draft pick by the A's in 1972 out of Central Arizona College, Lacey reached the big leagues five years later. He was immediately thrust into the workhorse tole that defined his career.From 1977-78, Lacey appeared in 138 games out of the bullpen, pitched 241.1 innings and went 14-17 with 12 saves. Those numbers are practically unheard of in the era when single-inning relief appearances are the most common.In his fourth major league appearance in 1977, Lacey was called on to pitch in relief against the New York Yankees. He struck out former A's star Reggie Jackson twice during Jackson’s first return to the Coliseum, and the confrontation that followed made Lacey a favorite of fans — and A's owner Charlie Finley.The A's traded Lacey to the San Diego Padres in March 1981 for speedy utility player — and future Angel — Tony Phillips. While Phillips became a mainstay in Oakland and helped the A's win the 1989 World Series, Lacey would never appear in a game with the Padres. Days later he was traded to Cleveland.Lacey would pitch for five different organizations, including the Angels, from 1981-85. The Angels brought Lacey back to affiliated baseball after he spent all of 1982 pitching in Mexico. For the first five months of the 1982 season, Lacey pitched for Triple-A Edmonton, going 7-3 with a 4.72 ERA in 54 games (two starts). He led the Trappers with 12 saves and racked up 101 innings almost entirely out of the bullpen.Promoted to the majors in September, Lacey made eight appearances out of the Angels' bullpen, going 1-2 with a 5.19 ERA.Lacey was released by the Angels in March 1984, then signed with the Giants. After making 34 appearances for San Francisco in 1984, he retired in the Giants' minor league system in the summer of 1985.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow