Lamp was born in
Los Angeles, California. After graduating in 1971 from
St. John Bosco High School in
Bellflower, California, Lamp was selected in the third round (62nd overall) by the Cubs in
that year's MLB draft. Lamp began his career as a Cub, but was traded to the crosstown
Chicago White Sox for pitcher
Ken Kravec. His seven wins and 15 saves helped the White Sox win their division by a whopping 20 games and reach the
ALCS. A month later, he was granted free agency and signed with the
Toronto Blue Jays. In a 14-season career, Lamp posted a 96-96 record with a 3.93 ERA and 35 saves in 639 games pitched. His best season was 1985 when he went 11-0 with a 3.32 ERA in 105 innings pitched. In 1984 with the Blue Jays, Lamp came up just one win short of
Luis Arroyo's 1961 record for most consecutive wins by a reliever. He continued to pitch while approaching his 40th birthday, coming out of the bullpen in 21 games for the 1992
Pittsburgh Pirates, who won their division and advanced to the
NLCS, but he was released in June of that season. Lamp was involved in two individual career milestones involving a pair of future
Baseball Hall of Famers. On August 13, 1979, he gave up
Lou Brock's 3,000th hit. He also surrendered
Cal Ripken Jr.'s first major-league hit, a third-inning infield single in the White Sox's 8–7 victory over the
Baltimore Orioles at
Memorial Stadium on August 16, 1981. ==Post season appearances==