Florida Cottonmouths closer Philip Byrd became the second pitcher in Gleeman World history to record 250 career saves by pitching two scoreless innings in Florida's 6-5 win over Las Vegas on Monday.
The milestone save was one of the toughest you'll ever see, as Byrd entered the game in the eighth inning with the bases loaded and nobody out with his team up just one run. He recorded a 5-2-3 double play and a strikeout to escape without a single run scoring, then got another double play in the ninth to work around a leadoff single.
"You'd rather come in at the beginning of an inning and get to work with the bases empty, but sometimes it doesn't work out like that," Byrd said. "In a situation like that, you just try to make good pitches and hope to limit the damage. Getting the double play was huge, because then the infield can move back and you don't have to worry about being too perfect."
A six-time All-Star, Byrd is 6-for-8 in save opportunities this season with a 1.72 ERA in 15.2 innings. He has saved between 32 and 39 games every season and has posted a sub-4.00 ERA in every season except one (Season 5).
"I've been very fortunate to mostly stay healthy in my career, and I've been on good teams that have helped me succeed," Byrd said. "It's nice to get to a milestone like that, because I've always been proud of being consistent and helping the club every season."
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