Paul Byrd
| Paul Byrd | |||
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Byrd with the Cleveland Indians
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| Pitcher | |||
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Born: December 3, 1970 Louisville, Kentucky |
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| MLB debut | |||
| July 28, 1995, for the New York Mets | |||
| Last MLB appearance | |||
| October 1, 2009, for the Boston Red Sox | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Win–loss record | 109–96 | ||
| Earned run average | 4.41 | ||
| Strikeouts | 929 | ||
| Teams | |||
| Career highlights and awards | |||
Paul Gregory Byrd (born December 3, 1970) is an American former professional baseball right-handed starting pitcher. He pitched in Major League Baseball from 1995 to 2009. He is known, perhaps ironically, as being the "nicest guy in baseball". In 2002, Byrd developed an old-fashioned, early twentieth-century windup in which he swung his arms back and forth to create deception and momentum. He became recognizable and well known for his unique delivery.
Byrd played his high school career at Saint Xavier High School in Louisville, Kentucky. Byrd attended Louisiana State University where he pitched as part of the Tigers baseball team that won the 1991 College World Series. He was originally drafted in the fourth round of the 1991 Major League Baseball draft by the Cleveland Indians. Byrd spent five years in the minor leagues before being traded to the New York Mets and making his major league debut on July 28, 1995.
As a member of the Philadelphia Phillies, Byrd was selected for the 1999 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. Byrd's career was revived in 2002, when he won 17 games, despite pitching for a Kansas City Royals team that lost 100 games. Byrd parlayed his 2002 season into a two-year free agent contract with the Atlanta Braves. On July 1, 2003, Byrd underwent Tommy John surgery on his right elbow. He was able to successfully come back from the operation and pitch in his first postseason appearance for the Braves during the 2004 National League Division Series.
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