Tim Byrdak

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
• Final Game September 26, 2013
• Born October 31, 1973 in Oak Lawn, IL USA

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Biographical Information

Tim Byrdak was a LOOGY in twelve big league seasons, making 479 appearances with only 339 2/3 innings.

Byrdak first reached the big leagues in August 1998 as a member of the Kansas City Royals. After parts of three seasons with ERAs routinely well over 5, he spent the next four seasons on the big league fringes, pitching part of 2003 in the independent Northern League. He resurfaced in 2005 with the Baltimore Orioles, earning his first career victory on April 14, 2006 simply by being the pitcher of record for the O's when Scot Shields of the Los Angeles Angels allowed a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 9th inning to Ramon Hernandez. He moved to the Detroit Tigers in 2007, recording his first sub-4.00 ERA with a 3-0, 3.20 record in 39 games.

Tim spent 2008 to 2010 as part of the Houston Astros' bullpen. By going 2-2 in 64 games in 2010, he had the most decisions in any of his seasons (eventually tying with his 2012 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 set a mind-boggling record by making 13 consecutive appearances of exactly one-third of an inning between May 4th and May 22nd that season. During that stretch, he retired 13 straight batters! He did strike out 47 batters, but also walked 19 and gave up 34 hits, while going 2-1, 3.82 with 1 save. In 2012, he was leading the National League in games pitched with 56 when he announced on August 9th that he would 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. He rallied back for 8 appearances in 2013, with a 7.71 ERA September ERA marking the end of the line. All told, Tim finished 13-13 with a 4.35 ERA and 4 saves in his career.

Related Sites

• Tim Byrdak on mlb.com