Byron Scott McLaughlin was born in Hollywood, California, on September 29, 1954.
He attended Santa Monica High School in Santa Monica, California, where he played high school baseball. As he says himself, he was only a mediocre outfielder. However, he loved the game so much that he refused to give up.
He dreamed of becoming a major league player day and night.
Early Career
On December 24, 1973, the Montreal Expos had a walk-on tryout camp in Southern California. I went there as a walk-on, a try-out-type candidate. I seemed to impress with my hustle and determination. Their scouts noticed that. So, I was given the opportunity to attend their minor-league spring training camp in Florida. There, I played seven games as a position player with the West Palm Beach Expos and was released.
I was released by the Montreal Expos in June 1974, as they decided that I didn’t possess the skill set to become a real prospect. After being let go, I refused to give up and decided to become a pitcher. I always had a naturally very strong throwing arm. So, I spent approximately 7 months training myself to pitch.
Thereafter, on March 4, 1975, I signed with the Baltimore Orioles and spent the year in the low Class A minor league, where I posted very poor results and was released again at the end of the season. From this point, I nearly gave up.
That winter, I decided to completely revamp my pitching technique and motion with a new wind-up and release point. Incredibly, my velocity went from the high 80s to the upper 90s in terms of fastball velocity.
In 1976, I joined the Class-A Victoria Cowboys of the Gulf States League. The Cowboys were a non-affiliated minor league team. That season, I led the league in both wins. Strikeouts went 10–4 with a 3.05 ERA in 15 games.
Seattle Mariners
On January 8, 1977, I signed with the Seattle Mariners. They loaned me the Nuevo Laredo Tecolotes in the Mexican League.
I lived in Laredo, Texas, and crossed the border nightly to play in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, in the Mexican League.
That season, I compiled a record of 18–13 with a 1.84 ERA, 221 strikeouts, and 22 complete games. More importantly, we won the Mexican League Championship. I was given the Mexican League Pitcher of the Year Award. It was the highpoint on my baseball career up to that point.
I was called up to the Major Leagues in September 1977 when I was only 23 yrs old.
Just a year earlier, I was playing in a non-affiliated minor league team. Honestly, on the first day, I walked into the Mariners’ clubhouse in Seattle and was so nervous I could hardly breathe, let alone stand up, as my childhood dream had finally been realized.
That winter of 1977-1978, I played for Escogido in the Dominican Republic Winter Baseball League and led the league in lowest earned run average among starting pitchers.
In the Spring of 1978, I pitched 16 scoreless innings in spring training and was still demoted to the minor leagues, as I thought I was truly ready to play in the big leagues.
I spent the 1978 season with the Mariners’ triple-A team. With a 5–2 record, a 3.50 ERA, and 52 strikeouts in eight games, I was called up to the big leagues from July to the end of September with the Seattle Mariners big league team. There, I went 4–8 with a 4.37 ERA and 87 strikeouts in 20 games, 17 starts.
After the 1978 season, I pitched in the Mexican Pacific League, where I led all pitchers with a 1.05 ERA and 143 strikeouts. It was maybe the greatest single-season record in the history of the Mexican Pacific League.
In 1979, I spent the entire regular season with the Mariners that year. I compiled a record of 7–7 with a 4.22 with 14 saves, and 74 strikeouts in 47 games, seven starts, and I felt in 1979 like I really belonged in the big leagues.
In 1980, I had a terrible year and really struggled to find my correct pitching technique. During this season, I posted a record of 3–6 with a 6.85 ERA, two saves, and 41 strikeouts in 45 games, four of which were starts.
Over my four-year tenure with the Mariners, I posted a combined 14–21 record with a 5.10 ERA, five complete games, 16 saves, and 203 strikeouts in 113 games.
Later Career
After not finding any Major League team that wanted to give me an opportunity, I decided to re-contact the Nuevo Laredo Tecolotes in the Mexican league. In March 1982, I asked them if they were interested in me returning to pitch in the Mexican League.
Hence, in the 1981 and 1982 seasons, I consistently posted good stats. In 1983, I earned another opportunity to play in the big leagues as my pitching delivery seemed to find its timing once again.
In 1983, the California Angels signed me to a minor-league contract, bouncing up and down between the minors and the big leagues throughout the year.
With the Angels, I had a 2–4 record with a 5.17 ERA, and 45 strikeouts in 16 games. At the end of 1983, I finally decided to end my baseball career, realizing I simply didn’t have the talent to continue.
Looking back, I had many great experiences while actually becoming a major league pitcher, as I was afforded the opportunity to travel the country and play in large stadiums in front of 50,000 fans.
It was truly an incredible experience, with some high points, but when performing poorly, it caused huge pain and disappointment.
Finally, I was released at the end of the year, and my baseball career had come to an end.
In some way, I was glad it was over, as I couldn’t deal with poor results.
After 11 years of playing professionally, I finally realized I had no choice but to give up.