Timothy Christopher Byrdak (born October 31, 1973) is an American former

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

. He has pitched for the

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an exp ...

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight char ...

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after s ...

and

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB). A

relief pitcher In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed because of fatigue, ineffectiveness, injury, or ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as inclement weather ...

, Byrdak attended

Rice University William Marsh Rice University (Rice University) is a private research university in Houston, Texas. It is on a 300-acre campus near the Houston Museum District and adjacent to the Texas Medical Center. Rice is ranked among the top universitie ...

where he played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional pl ...

Career

Kansas City Royals

Byrdak was drafted by the

in the fifth round of the

1994 MLB Draft First round selections The following are the first round picks in the 1994 Major League Baseball draft. Compensation picks Compensation Picks Other notable players * Troy Glaus, 2nd round, 37th overall by the San Diego Padres, but did no ...

out of

. He made his MLB debut as a reliever against the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one ...

on August 7, 1998. In parts of three seasons with the Royals, he was 0–4 with an 8.27 ERA in 48 games. However, he did pick up his first career save on July 4, 1999 against the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...

Cleveland Indians

He signed as a minor league free agent with the Indians on February 19, 2001. He only appeared in four games with the AAA

Buffalo Bisons The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen Fie ...

in 2001 and 11 with the

Kinston Indians The Kinston Indians were a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League (CL) located in Kinston, North Carolina, from 1978 to 2011. They played their home games at Grainger Stadium, which opened in 1949. The team began play in 1978 as the K ...

and

Akron Aeros The Akron RubberDucks are a Minor League Baseball team based in Akron, Ohio. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. They play in Canal Park, located in downtown Akron, which seats 7,630 ...

in 2002 due to injury issues.

Northern League

In 2003, he pitched in the Northern League with the

Gary Southshore Railcats The Gary SouthShore RailCats are a professional baseball team based in Gary, Indiana, in the United States. The RailCats are members of the American Association of Professional Baseball, an official Partner League of Major League Baseball. The Ra ...

and the

Joliet Jackhammers The Joliet JackHammers were a professional baseball team based in Joliet, Illinois, in the United States. The JackHammers were a member of the Northern League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball. From 2002 to 2010, the JackHammers ...

. While playing for the Rail Cats, he faced 77-year-old

Minnie Miñoso Orestes "Minnie" Miñoso (, ; born Saturnino Orestes Armas Miñoso Arrieta; November 29, 1923 – March 1, 2015), nicknamed "The Cuban Comet" and "Mr. White Sox", was a Cuban professional baseball player. He began his baseball career in the Neg ...

leading off the game at

St. Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

on July 16, 2003, and got a walk. The plate appearance marked Minoso’s seventh decade of professional baseball, and Byrdak was quoted in the "Scorecard" section of ''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twic ...

'' on his impressions on facing the former

White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...

star.

San Diego Padres

He signed as a minor league free agent with the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With ...

on January 30, 2004, and made 20 appearances for the AAA

Portland Beavers The Portland Beavers was the name of separate minor league baseball teams, which represented Portland, Oregon, in the Pacific Coast League (PCL). The team was established in 1903, the first year of the PCL. Franchise history Many baseball teams ...

, where he was 3–0 with a 5.45 ERA.

Baltimore Orioles

He was traded to the

on June 22, 2004, and pitched for the

Ottawa Lynx The Ottawa Lynx were a Minor League Baseball team that competed in the Triple-A International League (IL) from 1993 to 2007. The team's home field was Lynx Stadium in Ottawa, Ontario. Over 15 seasons, the team was an affiliate of the Montreal Ex ...

in 2004 and 2005. Byrdak made his first appearance in the Majors in five years when the Orioles purchased his contract and he appeared against the Indians on July 2, 2005. He made 57 appearances for the Orioles Major League team in 2005 and 2006, with a 1–1 record and 5.88 ERA.

Detroit Tigers

He signed as a free agent with the

on November 17, 2006. Prior to the 2007 season, Byrdak developed a

forkball The forkball is a type of pitch in baseball. Related to the split-finger fastball, the forkball is held between the first two fingers and thrown hard, snapping the wrist. The forkball differs from the split-fingered fastball, however, in tha ...

, a type of pitch that he had previously not thrown. This enabled him to throw three pitches (along with a

fastball The fastball is the most common type of pitch thrown by pitchers in baseball and softball. "Power pitchers," such as former American major leaguers Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, rely on speed to prevent the ball from being hit, and have th ...

and

curveball In baseball and softball, the curveball is a type of pitch thrown with a characteristic grip and hand movement that imparts forward spin to the ball, causing it to dive as it approaches the plate. Varieties of curveball include the 12–6 curve ...

). In his Detroit debut, Byrdak

struck out In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is deno ...

five of six batters in the heart of the powerful

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's ei ...

lineup, including an inning-ending curve to which

David Ortiz David Américo Ortiz Arias (born November 18, 1975), nicknamed "Big Papi", is a Dominican-American former designated hitter (DH) and first baseman in Major League Baseball who played in the American League (AL) from 1997 to 2016, primarily wit ...

struck out looking. He pitched in 39 games for the Tigers, and was 3–0 with a 3.20 ERA.

Houston Astros

He signed as a free agent with the

on April 3, 2008. In three seasons with the Astros, he was 5–5 with a 3.53 ERA in 199 appearances. On September 28, 2010, Byrdak surrendered a walk-off home run to

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

right fielder

Jay Bruce Jay Allen Bruce (born April 3, 1987) is an American former professional baseball right fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds, New York Mets, Cleveland Indians, Seattle Mariners, Philadelphia Phillies and New Y ...

that clinched the Reds the National League Central division title.

New York Mets

On January 21, 2011, Byrdak signed with the

. That season, he had a 2–1 record and 3.82 ERA. Despite some discussion about a possible trade, He was re-signed following the season. Byrdak had surgery to repair a torn meniscus on March 13, 2012. He was scheduled to miss six weeks. However, on

Opening Day Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent years ...

, April 5, 2012, Byrdak made his season debut and struck out the only two batters he faced, preserving the Mets 1–0 victory. Through June 16 he had a 2–0 record and 3.44 ERA. Between May 6 and May 22, 2012, Byrdak appeared in 12 games and retired the only batter he faced in all 12 appearances. These included 5 strikeouts, 1 ground out, and 6 fly outs. This is tied for the third longest streak of games appeared in without allowing a base runner. On August 6, 2012, it was announced that Byrdak had suffered an anterior capsule injury in his left shoulder. He did not pitch at all for the rest of the season. On November 26, 2012, Byrdak re-signed with the Mets on a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training.

Personal life

Aside from major league baseball Byrdak works at Tyler Thompson's Elite Sports Facility in Lockport, IL and gives pitching lessons. Tim is married with four children and resides in

Lockport, Illinois Lockport is a city in Will County, Illinois, United States, located 30 miles southwest of Chicago. Per the 2020 census, the population was 26,094. The city was incorporated in 1853. It is situated along the Illinois and Michigan (I&M) Canal, a ...

during the off-season.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Byrdak, Tim 1973 births Living people Aberdeen IronBirds players Akron Aeros players American expatriate baseball players in Canada Baltimore Orioles players Baseball players from Illinois Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Detroit Tigers players Eugene Emeralds players Frederick Keys players Gary SouthShore RailCats players Gulf Coast Mets players Houston Astros players Joliet JackHammers players Kansas City Royals players Kinston Indians players Las Vegas 51s players Major League Baseball pitchers New York Mets players Omaha Golden Spikes players Omaha Royals players Ottawa Lynx players People from Lockport, Illinois People from Oak Lawn, Illinois Portland Beavers players Rice Owls baseball players Round Rock Express players South Suburban Bulldogs baseball players St. Lucie Mets players Toledo Mud Hens players Wichita Wranglers players Wilmington Blue Rocks players