by the Webmaster
LSUsports.net
BALTIMORE — After being traded from the soon-to-be-playoff-contending Philadelphia Phillies to the perennial-last-place Kansas City Royals in early June, former LSU baseball pitcher Paul Byrd was looking to come back from shoulder surgery to become the veteran of a staff that will have an average age under 25.
However, the 30-year-old right-hander had a reputation of allowing lefties to feast off everything he could throw at them. He was throwing a fastball, curve, slider, sinker and changeup. But, when he tore a blister on his finger, he couldn’t throw his changeup.
On July 23, Royals pitching coach and former Major League great Al Nipper introduced Byrd to the screwball just before a road game against the Seattle Mariners, baseball’s best team. And since then, it’s made all the difference.
Since adding the screwball, Byrd has become the first Royal pitcher to win three games on a road trip since Dennis Leonard in 1980 and won his fifth consecutive start on Thursday in Baltimore, 9-2.
Just more than a year removed from having his labrum repaired (Aug. 2, 2000), Byrd hasn’t allowed more than one earned run in his past five appearances (at Seattle, at Chicago White Sox, at Minnesota, against Detroit and at Baltimore) while improving from 1-4 to 6-4 and lowering his ERA from 4.04 to 2.92. This five-game winning streak also includes two complete games with a 0.97 ERA in 37 innings pitched — and no (that’s zero) home runs allowed.
On Thursday, he allowed eight hits — including seven singles — in seven scoreless innings to beat Cal Ripken Jr.’s Orioles in Camden Yards in Baltimore. Ripken, a future Hall of Famer, was the only Oriole to earn multiple hits off Byrd with two singles. The game went scoreless into the sixth when the Royals put together the first of three three-run innings to take a 9-0 lead when Byrd was relieved to begin the eighth inning after 100 pitches (including 70 strikes).
Byrd improved to 5-1 with a 1.30 ERA in seven games on the road this season, and the Royals (49-72 and 19 games behind AL Central leader, Cleveland) won 9-2. He also scored some points with his teammates last Friday when he put a wrestling hold on Detroit catcher Robert Fick at home plate during a Tigers-Royals brawl.
After nine minor league starts to begin the 2001 season, Byrd was recalled to the Phillies and debated asking manager Larry Bowa for a trade. Before he could do so, he was dealt to Kansas City for relief pitcher Jose Santiago.
Byrd, a Major League All-Star in 1999, figures to be the only veteran starter in the Royals rotation next year.
An All-SEC and All-America pitcher, Byrd was a three-year letter winner from 1989-91 and a member of the 1991 College World Series championship team. He compiled a 31-11 record at LSU in 92 appearances including 42 starts, with a career ERA of 2.88. As of 2001, Byrd continued to hold LSU records for victories in a season (17 in 1990) while ranking third in career victories (31) and fourth in career strikeouts (319).
He was drafted into the Indians organization and pitched in the minors for five seasons before being called up on July 28, 1995.