Byrd Watching

"I'm just so excited to be back. I want a World Series ring. Hopefully I can help this team get there. I'll clean toilets if I have to, and I told them that." -- Pitcher Paul Byrd

Remember Paul Byrd? Yeah, me neither. However this past Sunday he got the call and not only outdueled Toronto's Roy Halladay but held the Blue Jays scoreless in the six innings before turning it over to the bullpen for the team shutout. For all of Red Sox GM Theo Epstein's seemingly failed experimental signings (i.e: John Smoltz, Brad Penny) this season, it seems he always has a back up plan. Could he have predicted Byrd's impressive season debut? Absolutely not. But then again, he couldn't have predicted Smoltz and Penny's shortcomings as American League pitchers either.

I remember when I saw Byrd's name as the starter for Boston. My first initial reaction was "Really? THAT guy is still a Red Sox?" I was so sure he had been waived or traded away for some minor league prospect during the offseason. It was truly news to me he was still with the organization. You can only imagine my surprise coming across his name on the Red Sox homepage. But, maybe even more surprising was how well he stepped up. When Boston needed a pitcher, he threw a gem allowing the Sox to get a win and build a four-game lead in the AL Wild Card race over the Texas Rangers.

With pitchers Tim Wakefield having no timetable for his next scheduled start and Daisuke Matsuzaka still out, right now would be an excellent time to have Byrd step in as a replacement for either one. Imagine a Boston starting rotation of: Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, Clay Buchholz, Tim Wakefield (more likely to come back this season than Dice-K), and Paul Byrd. It may not be a Hall of Fame starting five but it'll likely get the job done when the time comes.