Paul Byrd

Infobox MLB player
name = Paul Byrd

---

width = 200
caption =
team = Boston Red Sox
number = 36
position = Starting pitcher
birthdate = birth date and age|1970|12|3
birthplace = city-state|Louisville|Kentucky
bats = Right
throws = Right
debutdate = July 28
debutyear = 1995
debutteam = New York Mets
statyear = 2008
stat1label = Win-Loss
stat1value = 108-93
stat2label = Earned run average
stat2value = 4.38
stat3label = Strikeouts
stat3value = 912
teams =
*New York Mets (by|1995–by|1996)
*Atlanta Braves (by|1997–by|1998)
*Philadelphia Phillies (by|1998–by|2001)
*Kansas City Royals (by|2001–by|2002)
*Atlanta Braves (by|2003-by|2004)
*Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (by|2005)
*Cleveland Indians (by|2006–by|2008)
*Boston Red Sox (by|2008–present)
awards =
*All-Star selection (by|1999)

Paul Gregory Byrd (born December 3, 1970 in Louisville, Kentucky) is a Major League Baseball right-handed starting pitcher who plays for the Boston Red Sox.

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 mlby|1991 amateur draft by the Cleveland Indians. Byrd spent 5 years in the minor leagues before being traded to the New York Mets and making his major league debut on July 28, mlby|1995.

Byrd is well-known for his striking resemblance to actor Kelsey Grammer and because of this is called Frasier by his teammates. [cite news|title=ONE UP ON BIG UNIT BYRD SHUTS OUT ASTROS|publisher=Philadelphia Inquirer |date=1998-08-18|author=Salisbury, Jim] He is also known for using an "old-fashioned" windup, in which he swings his arms back prior to going into the full windup. He occasionally swings his arms back twice before pitching, which can disrupt the timing of a batter. Umpires have however, on at least two occasions during Byrd's stay with the Indians, given opposing batters "time" during Byrd's "double-pump".

As a member of the Philadelphia Phillies, Byrd was selected for the mlby|1999 All-Star Game. Byrd's career was revived in mlby|2002, when he won 17 games, despite pitching for a Kansas City Royals team that would lose 100 games. On the strength of that season, Byrd developed a cult following of fans known as the Byrd's Nest. Byrd parlayed his strong 2002 campaign into a two-year free agent contract with the Atlanta Braves. On July 1, mlby|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 mlby|2004 NLDS.

In December 2004, the Anaheim Angels signed Byrd to a $5 million(USD), one-year contract following the trade of right-handed pitcher Ramon Ortiz to the Cincinnati Reds. Byrd went 12-11 with a 3.74 ERA in 205 innings with the Angels. He was second in the AL with 21 quality starts.

On December 4, mlby|2005, Byrd was signed as a free agent by the Cleveland Indians. Tony Amato, the Indians' equipment manager, describes Byrd as "a lefty in a right-hander's body." [ [http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=Ar7JExxsKzODZ6JnsdFTt3E5nYcB?slug=jp-milwaukee041007&prov=yhoo&type=lgns Yahoo Sports] ]

In mlby|2007, he was 15-8, 3rd best to C.C. Sabathia and Fausto Carmona on the Indians team.

On October 8, 2007, Byrd was the winning pitcher in a 6-4 win against the New York Yankees, giving the Cleveland Indians a 3-1 series win in the ALDS. Byrd pitched again on October 16, this time against the Boston Red Sox in the ALCS. He went 5 innings, giving up 2 earned runs and striking out 4, gaining the victory in an Indians 7-3 win to take a 3-1 lead in the best of seven series.

On August 12, mlby|2008, Byrd was traded from the Cleveland Indians to the Boston Red Sox for a player to be named later. [ [http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080812&content_id=3295835&vkey=news_cle&fext=.jsp&c_id=cle indians.com] ]

Byrd has written a book called "Free Byrd" about his life, detailing both his devout Christianity and past struggles with pornography, among other things. [cite news|title= [http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=alipour/071016&sportCat=mlb Paul Byrd's struggle to walk with God] |publisher=ESPN |date=2007-10-17|author=Alipour, Sam]

After playing baseball at LSU, Paul Byrd became a high school substitute teacher for a short period of time at [http://www.dunhamschool.org The Dunham School] in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

HGH Controversy

On October 21, 2007, Byrd was accused of using HGH by the "San Francisco Chronicle". The paper accused him of spending $24,850 on HGH and syringes from 2002 to 2005. [cite news | last = Williams | first = Lance | coauthors = Mark Fainaru-Wada | url = http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2007/10/21/MNN6SSC8F.DTL&tsp=1 | title = Cleveland pitcher spent thousands on human growth hormone | work= San Francisco Chronicle | quote= Paul Byrd, the veteran pitcher who has helped the Cleveland Indians reach the brink of the World Series, bought nearly $25,000 worth of human growth hormone and syringes from a Florida anti-aging clinic that was targeted by law enforcement for illegally distributing performance-enhancing drugs, business records show. | date = 2007-10-21 | accessdate = 2007-10-21] Byrd defended himself, claiming that he was being treated for a tumor on his pituitary gland, and took the drugs under medical supervision. [cite news | last = Brown | first = Tim | url = http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=Av8Sji0xjF.ekbxjJeQDGfkRvLYF?slug=ti-byrdfollow102107&prov=yhoo&type=lgns | title = Byrd: HGH was for serious condition | work= YAHOOSPORTS.com | date = 2007-10-22 | accessdate = 2007-10-22] Subsequent news reports, however, assert that Byrd began taking HGH before any pituitary gland condition was diagnosed and that one of the medical professionals to have prescribed Byrd HGH was a Florida dentist whose dental license had been suspended for fraud and incompetence. [cite news | last = Williams | first = Lance | coauthors = Mark Fainaru-Wada | url = http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2007/10/22/MN69STUND.DTL | title = Indians pitcher Byrd says growth hormone was prescribed by doctor | work= San Francisco Chronicle | date = 2007-10-22 | accessdate = 2007-10-22]

On December 13, 2007, Paul Byrd was cited in the Mitchell Report on illegal use of performance enhancing substances in baseball [cite news | last = Mitchell | first = George | url = http://files.mlb.com/mitchrpt.pdf | title = Mitchell Report on Steroid Use in Baseball | date = 2007-12-13 | accessdate = 2007-12-13] .

References

External links

* [http://www.royalsreview.com/story/2007/9/17/113857/683 The 100 Greatest Royals of All-Time- #88 Paul Byrd]
*http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?playerId=3307