Paul Byrd

Paul Gregory Byrd (born December 3, 1970), is an American former professional baseball starting pitcher, who is currently a TV sports broadcaster for Atlanta Braves games on Bally Sports Southeast. While pitching in Major League Baseball (MLB), from to , Byrd was known as being the "nicest guy in baseball". Late in his career, he developed an old-fashioned, early twentieth-century windup in which he swung his arms back and forth to create deception and momentum. Byrd became recognizable and well known for his unique delivery.

High school, college and minor leagues

Byrd played his high school career at Saint Xavier High School in Louisville, Kentucky. He was originally drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the 13th round (332nd overall) of the 1988 Major League Baseball draft, but did not sign and chose to attend college. Byrd attended Louisiana State University where he pitched as part of the Tigers baseball team that won the 1991 College World Series. After the season, he was drafted in the fourth round (112th overall) of the 1991 Major League Baseball draft by the Cleveland Indians. Byrd spent the first four seasons of his career pitching in Cleveland's minor league system, reaching Triple-A in 1994. On November 18, 1994, Byrd was traded to the New York Mets alongside Jerry Dipoto, Dave Mlicki, and a player to be named later (minor leaguer Jesus Azuaje) in exchange for Jeromy Burnitz and Joe Roa.

Major leagues

New York Mets

Byrd made his major league debut for the Mets on July 28, 1995, allowing two hits and an earned run in of an inning in a 10–9 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. He made 17 relief appearances in his first year with the Mets, going 2–0 with a 2.05 ERA. Byrd spent most of the 1997 season in the bullpen, but on July 31, he made his first career start against the Florida Marlins. He pitched well, tossing six innings of one-run ball while striking out four, but he was tagged with the loss in a 1–0 defeat. In 31 games (four starts), Byrd went 4–4 with a 5.26 ERA.

Philadelphia Phillies

On August 14, 1998, Byrd was claimed off waivers by the Philadelphia Phillies. In his next start, Byrd tossed another complete game on August 22 against the Colorado Rockies. He allowed one earned run on five hits with four strikeouts in the 6–1 victory. In eight total starts with the Phillies, he finished 5–2 with a 2.29 ERA. After making three starts and going 2–0 with a 1.73 ERA with Scranton, Byrd was recalled on June 18 when Andy Ashby was placed on the disabled list. In August, he underwent right shoulder surgery and missed the rest of the season. In 17 games (15 starts), Byrd finished 2–9 with a 6.51 ERA. Byrd appeared in three games (one start) with the team that year, going 0–1 with an 8.10 ERA. He pitched effectively in the Royals' rotation to close the season, going 6–6 with a 4.05 ERA in 16 games (15 starts). On July 1, 2003, Byrd underwent Tommy John surgery on his right elbow. He was able to successfully come back from the operation in 2004, and finished the season 8–7 with a 3.94 ERA in 19 starts. In two combined appearances, Byrd was 0–1 with a 6.35 ERA as the Braves ultimately lost to the Houston Astros in five games. Byrd made 31 starts in 2005, and finished 12–11 with a 3.74 earned run average in innings with the Angels. In the 2005 American League Division Series, Byrd struggled in Game 3 against the New York Yankees, allowing four earned runs on seven hits in innings pitched, but the Angels managed to win, 11–7. Byrd fared much better in the 2005 American League Championship Series, going 1–0 with a 3.38 ERA in his two starts.

Cleveland Indians

On December 4, 2005, Byrd agreed to a two-year, $14.25 million deal with the Cleveland Indians. The deal included a club option for 2008. He made 31 starts in his first season with Cleveland, going 10–9 with a 4.88 ERA. On October 8, Byrd was the winning pitcher in a 6–4 win against the New York Yankees, giving the Indians a 3–1 series win in the 2007 American League Division Series. Byrd pitched again on October 16, this time against the Boston Red Sox in the ALCS. He went five innings, giving up two earned runs and striking out four, gaining the victory in an Indians 7–3 win to take a 3–1 lead in the best of seven series. The Red Sox went on to win the next three games to take the series in seven games, eliminating Cleveland from contention.

Byrd began the 2008 season with a 7–10 record and a 4.53 ERA in 22 starts with Cleveland. He made eight starts with the Red Sox to close out the season, going 4–2 with a 4.78 ERA. On August 5, 2009, the Red Sox signed Byrd to a minor-league contract. He made his first major league start of the 2009 season on August 30 against the Toronto Blue Jays, tossing six scoreless innings while giving up three hits and three walks. In seven games (six starts), Byrd was 1–3 with a 5.82 ERA. Byrd defended himself, claiming that he was being treated for a tumor on his pituitary gland, and took the drugs under medical supervision. Subsequent news reports assert that Byrd began taking HGH before any pituitary gland condition was diagnosed and that one of the medical professionals to have prescribed Byrd HGH was a Florida dentist whose dental license had been suspended for fraud and incompetence. Rob Manfred, then MLB senior vice president for business and labor, asserted that Byrd did not have a therapeutic use exemption (TUE) as he claimed.

On December 13, 2007, Byrd was cited in the Mitchell Report on illegal use of performance-enhancing substances in baseball.

Personal

Byrd has written a book called Free Byrd about his life, detailing both his devout Christianity and past struggles with pornography, among other things. Byrd's wife, Kym, is a certified life coach where she helps married athletes with the rigors of their unique marriages. Together, with Paul's help, Kym surveys couples in baseball in hopes of helping those families in need. The couple raised two sons. Through an organization called CRU, Paul and Kym currently travel to various colleges around the United States speaking to students about "Faith in Sports" and "How to Stay Married in a Career Dominated Lifestyle."

Broadcasting

Until 2023, Byrd was a TV sports broadcaster with Bally Sports Southeast covering Atlanta Braves games. He did on-field interviews and provided analytical color commentary in tandem with the Braves' play-by-play announcer Chip Caray and Jeff Francoeur.

Byrd returned to the Braves broadcast team in the 2025 season.