Éric Cyr (born February 11, 1979) is a Canadian former professional baseball

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

. He previously played in

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(MLB) for the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. ...

, as well as in the

Chinese Professional Baseball League The Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL; ) is the top-tier professional baseball league in Taiwan. The league was established in 1989 and played the first season in 1990. CPBL eventually absorbed the competing Taiwan Major League in 20 ...

(CPBL) for the

Uni-President Lions The Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions, stylized as Uni-President 7-ᴇʟᴇᴠᴇn Lions, also known as Uni-Lions (), are a professional baseball team playing in the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL). The Lions are based in Tainan City, Ta ...

Baseball career

Cyr graduated from Edouard Montpetit High School in Montreal and attended Seminole State College in

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. He was drafted by the

in the 30th round of the 1998 MLB draft and signed with the Padres on May 31, . Cyr made his professional debut in 1999, splitting time between the Azl Padres and the

Idaho Falls Chukars The Idaho Falls Chukars are an independent baseball team of the Pioneer League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball (MLB) but is an MLB Partner League. They are located in Idaho Falls, Idaho, and play their home games at Melaleu ...

of the rookie leagues. He played with the Single-A

Fort Wayne Wizards A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Lati ...

in . During the 2000–01 offseason, Cyr played winter ball in Australia. He was suspended at the beginning of the season due to an arrest. In , he played with

Lake Elsinore Storm The Lake Elsinore Storm are a Minor League Baseball team based in Lake Elsinore, California. The Storm compete in the California League as the Single-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. The team plays its home games at Lake Elsinore Diamond, w ...

. With the Storm he had a terrific season, turning in a record of 7–4 with a 1.61

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in 21 appearances (16 starts) and

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131 batters while only

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24. He was promoted to the Double-A

Mobile BayBears The Mobile BayBears were a Minor League Baseball team based in Mobile, Alabama, United States. The team, which played in the Southern League, served as the Double-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres (1997–2006), Arizona Diamondbacks (2007–2 ...

in , where he was 4–6 with a 3.24 ERA in 14 starts before being promoted to Triple-A

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. He made his Major League Baseball debut for the Padres on June 23, 2002, against the

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

, working one scoreless inning in relief. He played in 5 games that year, going 0–1 with an ERA of 10.50 in 6 innings of total work. Cyr was claimed off waivers by the

Anaheim Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West Division. Since 1966, the team has pl ...

on March 5, and pitched briefly for the Angels Double-A team in

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...

before the Angeles waived him and he was claimed by the

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

, who sent him to

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. After a short stint there, he was returned to the Angels. Cyr pitched for both Arkansas and the Salt Lake Stingers in before leaving the Angels to take part in the

2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad (), and officially branded as Athens 2004 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 13 to 29 August 2004 in Athens, Greece. The Games saw 10,625 athletes ...

as part of Team Canada. He also pitched for Salt Lake in , accumulating a record of 5–5, 5.64 in 38 appearances, 9 starts. He was on the Canadian WBC Roster. Shortly before attending the 2006 WBC, he signed with CPBL's

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

. He departed the Uni-President Lions in September 2006, leaving a record of 9 wins (including 2

shutout In team sports, a shutout (North American English, US) or clean sheet (Commonwealth English, UK) is a game in which the losing team fails to score. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketba ...

s), 5 losses, and an ERA of 2.52, a

WHIP A whip is a blunt weapon or implement used in a striking motion to create sound or pain. Whips can be used for flagellation against humans or animals to exert control through pain compliance or fear of pain, or be used as an audible cue thro ...

of 1.23 in his 128.2 innings during the 2006 CPBL season. After finishing with the Uni-President Lions, he started one game for the Quebec Capitales of the Canadian-American Association of Professional Baseball giving up only 4 hits and no walks in eight shut-out innings before quitting the team to join

Team Canada Canadian National Team or Team Canada may refer to: Canada at multi-sport events * Canada at the Olympics ** Canadian Olympic Committee * Canada at the Paralympics ** Canadian Paralympic Committee * Canada at the Commonwealth Games * Canada at ...

at the qualifiers for the

2008 Olympic Games The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes fr ...

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. In , he signed a minor league contract with the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

, compiling a record of 6–3 with a 3.18 ERA in 16 starts for the

Jacksonville Suns The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They are located in Jacksonville, Florida, and are named for shrimp caught in the area. The team pla ...

before being promoted to the Las Vegas 51s, where he was 3–6 with a 5.56 ERA in 12 games, 11 as a starter. He played winter ball in

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during the off-season and signed a minor league contract with the Texas Rangers for , but was released before the start of the season and signed with the

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; he was assigned to their Triple-A affiliate, the

Tacoma Rainiers The Tacoma Rainiers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. They are located in Tacoma, Washington, and play their home games at Cheney Stadium, ...

, but was released on May 2, 2008. After a stint pitching with Quebec of the Canadian American Baseball league, where he was named player of the week ending on May 25, 2008, he was again picked up by the Dodgers and assigned to the

Inland Empire 66ers of San Bernardino The Inland Empire 66ers of San Bernardino are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels. The 66ers are based in San Bernardino, California, and play at San Manuel Stadium. Franchis ...

and later promoted to the Las Vegas 51s. He became a free agent at the end of the season. Early in 2009, he announced that he was planning on joining the Sherbrooke Expos a senior team in the Ligue de baseball senior élite du Québec. , he was married to

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Sara-Maude Boucher. Their son, Simon-Xavier, was born in 2008. He has another daughter with his first wife named Chloé Cyr.

Sexual assault conviction and jail

In April 2001, Cyr turned himself into the

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...

and was charged with having had sex with a 15-year-old girl while on a

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flight from Australia to

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that January. In December 2001, he pleaded guilty in the

United States District Court for the Central District of California The United States District Court for the Central District of California (in case citations, C.D. Cal.; commonly referred to as the CDCA or CACD) is a United States district court, federal trial court that serves over 19 million people in South ...

to a misdemeanor charge of sexual contact with another without consent. He was sentenced to a year of probation and given credit for thirty days served in jail. In 2004, the woman, then 18, filed suit against Cyr, Qantas, the San Diego Padres and the Lake Elsinore Storm.

References

External links

, o
Retrosheet
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cyr, Eric 1979 births Living people Arizona League Angels players Arizona League Padres players Arkansas Travelers players Baseball players at the 2004 Summer Olympics Baseball players from Montreal Canadian expatriate baseball players in Taiwan Canadian expatriate baseball players in the United States Cangrejeros de Santurce (baseball) players Canadian expatriate baseball players in Puerto Rico Canadian people convicted of child sexual abuse Cardenales de Lara players Chattanooga Lookouts players Fort Wayne Wizards players Idaho Falls Braves players Inland Empire 66ers players Jacksonville Suns players Lake Elsinore Storm players Las Vegas 51s players Leones del Caracas players Canadian expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente pitchers Lobos de Arecibo players Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball players from Canada Mobile BayBears players Olympic baseball players for Canada Portland Beavers players Québec Capitales players Salt Lake Stingers players San Diego Padres players Seminole State Raiders baseball players Tacoma Rainiers players Uni-President Lions players World Baseball Classic players of Canada 2006 World Baseball Classic players Canadian sportspeople convicted of crimes Canadian expatriate baseball players in Australia Canadian male criminals Criminals from Montreal 21st-century Canadian criminals Prisoners and detainees of the United States federal government