Portola Valley's Eric Byrnes reaches Big Show
By Bill Rayburn-Almanac Correspondent
From the quaint Little League field situated on Portola Valley's Portola Road, to the major leagues -- that's the road traveled by Portola Valley's Eric Byrnes.
The 24-year-old, drafted by the Oakland A's in the eighth round of the amateur draft out of UCLA in 1998, made his major league debut August 22 against the Cleveland Indians.
And what a successful initial foray it was. Byrnes went 2 for 4, scored two runs and even stole a base. He also received his initiation into the majors by being hit by a pitch. Byrnes singled in his very first at bat off tough lefthander Chuck Finley.
All in all, it was a busy first night. Byrnes was called up from the A's Triple-A affiliate, the Sacramento Rivercats, when the A's suffered a rash of injuries that left them shorthanded.
Byrnes stepped right into the starting lineup as a designated hitter, and proved to be up to the task.
"He did a fine job igniting the offense," A's manager Art Howe told the San Francisco Chronicle. "He plays like his hair's on fire."
Byrnes's father Jim was bursting with pride. "It was a great debut. I was very proud. He was interviewed the next day before the game, and was asked who influenced him the most. I expected him to say some favorite player, but he said it was his father, mother and his sister. It was tearful."
A's star Matt Stairs, according to Jim Byrnes, took Eric out to dinner to celebrate his first hit.
"And," gushed the proud father, "he was even voted the Budweiser Player of the Game."
Byrnes began this year in Midland, Texas, with the A's Double-A squad before being promoted to Sacramento where he was hitting .346 at the time of his promotion.
-- Bill Rayburn
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