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Tim Byrdak
From BR Bullpen
Timothy Christopher Byrdak
- Bats Left, Throws Left
- Height 5' 11", Weight 190 lb.
- School Rice University
- High School Oak Forest High School
- Debut August 7, 1998
- Born October 31, 1973 in Oak Lawn, IL USA
[edit] Biographical Information
Tim Byrdak resurfaced as the lefty specialist with the Baltimore Orioles in 2005 after being out of the big leagues for a long stretch. He earned his first major league win in 2006 with the Orioles; he had lost his first five major league decisions.
His previous major league experience came with the Kansas City Royals from 1998 to 2000, but he had then spent the next four seasons in the minor leagues including one season (2003) in the independent Northern League. He then found his niche as a left-handed relief specialist.
In 2007, he moved from Baltimore to the Detroit Tigers, then spent 2008 to 2010 as part of the Houston Astros' bullpen. By going 2-2 in 64 games that last season, he had the most decisions in any of his seasons thus far, indicating how specialized his usage had been. Indeed, he had a total of 4 saves at the end of 2011, and had never won more than 3 games or lost more than 3 in a season. In 2011, pitching for the New York Mets, his specialization was as extreme as could be: in 72 appearances, he pitched barely 37 2/3 innings - well under half an inning per mound appearance. He did strike out 47 batters in that span, but also walked 19 and gave up 34 hits, while going 2-1, 3.82, with a save. In 2012, he was leading the National League in games pitched with 56 when he announced on August 9th that he would need to undergo season-ending surgery to repair a torn capsule in his shoulder. He had gone 2-2, 4.40, while pitching 30 2/3 innings with a 4.40 ERA.
