Woodside's Byrnes Impresses A's With His Hustle
Anthony Hayes
Friday, September 1, 2000
For a guy who spent less than a week in Oakland A's green and gold in only his third pro season, Woodside's Eric Byrnes was in a buoyant mood Sunday -- despite just being told he was being sent back to the minors.
Last week, the speedy outfielder went from being obscure minor leaguer to playing in one of the A's most important series of the season before a packed house at Cleveland's Jacobs Field. And now, there's a good chance Byrnes will be back with the A's soon.
Major-league teams can expand their active rosters from 25 to 40 players starting today. The A's could use the swift-footed Byrnes to pinch run, steal bases and pinch hit as they make a late-season push for the playoffs.
Byrnes was sent back to the team's Triple-A club in Sacramento, the Rivercats, before Sunday's loss to the Yankees in order to make room for right-handed relief pitcher Jon Ratliff.
``The A's need another pitcher right now,'' said Byrnes, who was dressed in blue jeans as he packed his bags in the Oakland Coliseum clubhouse. ``They're in a pennant race. I totally understand. But I'd love to come back.''
Teammates and A's broadcaster Ray Fosse walked by to wish good luck to the 24-year-old bottle blond, who was still buzzing from his whirlwind debut.
``I think I experienced every emotion possible. It was really unbelievable,'' said Byrnes, a 1994 graduate of Mountain View's St. Francis High School. ``I didn't arrive in Cleveland until 3:30 a.m. I didn't get a wink of sleep that night. Everything happened so quickly.''
The hustling Byrnes proved he was ready for a shot at the show.
In his first game, Byrnes collected two hits, scored two runs and stole a base. Two days later he was nearly involved in his first big league brawl. Pete Rose and Will Clark -- Byrnes' boyhood favorites -- would have been proud.
Inserted into the designated hitter slot upon his arrival, Byrnes slammed a single up the middle in his first big league at-bat off veteran pitcher Chuck Finley. Proving he was no shy rookie, Byrnes then stole second. A double by Frank Menechino brought Byrnes home.
Byrnes later collected a second hit and was then hit by a pitch in the seventh. Byrnes would score again that inning, but it wasn't enough as Oakland lost 14-6.
But the ball that struck Byrnes set off a chain of events that resulted in both benches emptying two nights later. The tensions almost reached a boiling point when Oakland's Ben Grieve was nearly struck in the head by a Cleveland pitch.
``I guess they thought I was swinging too aggressively for a rookie in my first game so their pitcher hit me, that started it I guess,'' Byrnes said. ``When we all ran on the field after Ben was almost hit, I wanted to be sure I was on the front line. If someone on our team was to get the brunt of it, I wanted it to be me.''
Luckily, cooler heads prevailed, and no punches were thrown. But as the players milled about on the field, Byrnes found himself face-to- face with a testy looking Roberto Alomar, Cleveland's all-star second baseman.
``I've been watching him play forever,'' Byrnes said. ``So I say, `Hey Robby, what's up?' and he gets a big smile and says `Hi, kid. How you doing?' That was cool.''
Byrnes started the season at Double-A Midland in the Texas League and was promoted to Sacramento in June. He was batting a robust .346 with nine home runs, 47 RBIs and 34 stolen bases in the minors.
But the promotion to the big leagues caught Byrnes by surprise.
He'd made a base-running gaffe in a game the Rivercats went on to lose -- getting thrown out trying to stretch a single into a double. Afterward, in the clubhouse, he was summoned to Sacramento Manager Bob Geren's office. He was prepared to hear a lecture about his over-zealous play.
``It wasn't a smart move, but occasionally aggressive style of play can backfire,'' Byrnes said. ``Bob called me into his office and said, `You can't make that mistake. I'm out here putting my neck on the line for you.' ''
Then Geren dropped the bombshell.
``Whatever you do, don't make that mistake in Cleveland tomorrow,'' he told Byrnes.
``I almost passed out,'' Byrnes said, laughing.
Despite the lack of sleep, Byrnes didn't need any extra caffeine for his ``cup o' coffee'' in the bigs.
Officially, he played in two games during his brief stint in the majors, and will have a .333 average (2-for-6) upon his return.
Byrnes passed on a contract offer from the Dodgers straight out of high school, instead opting for a baseball scholarship at UCLA. He signed with the A's after four years with the Bruins.
Byrnes returns to the Peninsula to train with coach Chris Bradford and the baseball team at his alma mater, St. Francis, during the winter.
``Coach Bradford did everything possible to get me ready for college and professional baseball. When I go back the staff is very supportive,'' Byrnes said.
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