ended on a particularly dismal note, as he lost each of his final nine starts, and pitched in only 0.2 innings in his final start, allowing five runs to the Boston Red Sox. Byrd finished the year (and, it turned out, his major league career) with a 2-13 record, and an ERA of 6.18. At the end of spring training 1978, the Blue Jays assigned Byrd to their AAA affiliate, the Syracuse Chiefs of the International League. He complained to the press when he was sent down to Triple-A that his minor league salary was less than what he could make doing construction work. At Syracuse, Byrd had a disastrous time of it, making seven starts and posting a 0-3 record and an ERA of 8.13. When the Blue Jays decided to further demote Bryd to Double-A after his poor start in Syracuse, he abruptly left the Blue Jays organization and—proving his point about his minimal minor league baseball salary—spent the rest of the year working at a construction site. Byrd rejoined the team for spring training, 1979, declaring that the previous year was "water under the bridge". However, the Blue Jays released Byrd on March 29, 1979. Seattle Mariners In 1979, Byrd spent the season with the San Jose Missions of the California League, which was the Seattle Mariners A level affiliate. Byrd posted a solid record of 12-6 with an ERA of 2.98 in 26 starts. However, wildness continued to be a problem, as in 151 innings, Byrd walked 117 batters, hit 15 others, and threw 17 wild pitches. Byrd ended his career after that season. External links 1956 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in Canada Anderson Rangers players Baseball players from California Gulf Coast Rangers players Jersey City Indians players Major League Baseball pitchers People from La Mesa, California San Antonio Brewers players San Jose Missions players Syracuse Chiefs players Toronto Blue Jays players