Harry Byrd (baseball)
Encyclopedia
Harry Gladwin Byrd was an American
Major League Baseball
right-handed starting pitcher
who played for the Philadelphia Athletics (1950, 1952–53), New York Yankees
(1954), Baltimore Orioles
(1955), Chicago White Sox
(1955–56) and Detroit Tigers
(1957). He was born in Darlington, South Carolina
.
Byrd was a fire-ball throwing pitcher who had a career characterized by uncertainty, constant change, and transition from one team to the next.
Byrd pitched in six games with the Athletics in 1950, spent a season back in the minors
, and was called back up to the big club in 1952. That year he enjoyed his best season, going 15-15 with a 3.31 ERA
, earned an All-Star
berth, and was selected Rookie of the Year
.
In 1953 Byrd went 11-20, but he worked 237 innings
. At the start of the 1954 season, he was part of a ten-player trade between the Athletics and Yankees. In New York he finished 9-7 with a 2.99 ERA. At the end of the season, he was sent to the Orioles as part of a 17-player mega-deal.
Byrd went 3-2 with Baltimore in 1955, before being shipped off again to the White Sox. He finished with a combined 7-8 record with a 4.61 ERA. After pitching briefly with the Sox in 1956, he ended his career in 1957 with the Tigers.
In a seven-year career, Byrd compiled a 46-54 record with 381 strikeout
s and a 4.35 ERA in 827.2 innings.
Byrd lived in the small logging community of Mont Clare, just outside of his birthplace of Darlington, South Carolina
. He died in Darlington at age of 60 after a bout with lung cancer
. Darlington named a road after him (Harry Byrd Highway), which eventually becomes Bobo Newsom
Highway, another major-league pitcher from the area (Hartsville
).
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
right-handed starting pitcher
Starting pitcher
In baseball or softball, a starting pitcher is the pitcher who delivers the first pitch to the first batter of a game. A pitcher who enters the game after the first pitch of the game is a relief pitcher....
who played for the Philadelphia Athletics (1950, 1952–53), New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
(1954), Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
(1955), Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
(1955–56) and Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
(1957). He was born in Darlington, South Carolina
Darlington, South Carolina
Darlington is a city in and the county seat of Darlington County, in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of South Carolina. It is a center for tobacco farming. The population was 6,720 at the 2000 census and is part of the Florence Metropolitan Statistical Area...
.
Byrd was a fire-ball throwing pitcher who had a career characterized by uncertainty, constant change, and transition from one team to the next.
Byrd pitched in six games with the Athletics in 1950, spent a season back in the minors
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
, and was called back up to the big club in 1952. That year he enjoyed his best season, going 15-15 with a 3.31 ERA
Earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...
, earned an All-Star
Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual baseball game between players from the National League and the American League, currently selected by a combination of fans, players, coaches, and managers...
berth, and was selected Rookie of the Year
MLB Rookie of the Year Award
In Major League Baseball, the Rookie of the Year Award is annually given to one player from each league as voted on by the Baseball Writers Association of America . The award was established in 1940 by the Chicago chapter of the BBWAA, which selected an annual winner from 1940 through 1946...
.
In 1953 Byrd went 11-20, but he worked 237 innings
Innings pitched
In baseball, innings pitched are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one inning pitched. One out counts as one-third of an inning, and two...
. At the start of the 1954 season, he was part of a ten-player trade between the Athletics and Yankees. In New York he finished 9-7 with a 2.99 ERA. At the end of the season, he was sent to the Orioles as part of a 17-player mega-deal.
Byrd went 3-2 with Baltimore in 1955, before being shipped off again to the White Sox. He finished with a combined 7-8 record with a 4.61 ERA. After pitching briefly with the Sox in 1956, he ended his career in 1957 with the Tigers.
In a seven-year career, Byrd compiled a 46-54 record with 381 strikeout
Strikeout
In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters....
s and a 4.35 ERA in 827.2 innings.
Byrd lived in the small logging community of Mont Clare, just outside of his birthplace of Darlington, South Carolina
Darlington, South Carolina
Darlington is a city in and the county seat of Darlington County, in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of South Carolina. It is a center for tobacco farming. The population was 6,720 at the 2000 census and is part of the Florence Metropolitan Statistical Area...
. He died in Darlington at age of 60 after a bout with lung cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
. Darlington named a road after him (Harry Byrd Highway), which eventually becomes Bobo Newsom
Bobo Newsom
Louis Norman Newsom was an American starting pitcher in Major League Baseball. Also known as "Buck", Newsom played for a number of teams from 1929 through 1953...
Highway, another major-league pitcher from the area (Hartsville
Hartsville, South Carolina
Hartsville is a small city in Darlington County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 7,764 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Hartsville is located at ....
).
External links
- Baseball Library
- Historic Baseball - Focusing on players from South Carolina