Érik Bédard
A left-handed pitcher whose electric 2007 season for Baltimore became the high-water mark of a career defined by tantalizing potential and persistent injuries.
Born 1979 (age 47)·Canadian baseball player·Birthday: March 5·Generation X
Biography
Érik Bédard struck out 221 batters in 2007, a single-season record for the Baltimore Orioles. The left-hander from Navan, Ontario, refined a sharp curveball into a devastating weapon after the Orioles drafted him. That 2007 campaign saw him dominate American League hitters with power pitching. The Seattle Mariners made him the centerpiece of a franchise-altering trade that winter, sending future stars to Baltimore. Shoulder and knee injuries then derailed his ascent. Bédard became a respected journeyman, throwing innings for several clubs. In 2013 with Houston, he led the staff in innings pitched. The brief, brilliant peak in Baltimore defined a career that burned brightest when his arm was sound.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Érik was born in 1979, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Érik Was Born
The biggest hits of 1979
#1 Movie
Kramer vs. Kramer
Best Picture
Kramer vs. Kramer
#1 TV Show
Laverne & Shirley
Érik's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1979Born
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1984Started school
Apple Macintosh introduced
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $59,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"When Doves Cry" — PrinceBest Picture: Amadeus
1992Became a teenager
LA riots after Rodney King verdict
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $84,300Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"End of the Road" — Boyz II MenBest Picture: Unforgiven
1995Could drive
Oklahoma City bombing; Windows 95 released
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $96,500Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Gangsta's Paradise" — CoolioBest Picture: Braveheart
1997Could vote
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2000Turned 21
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
2009Turned 30
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
2019Turned 40
First image of a black hole; Hong Kong protests
Gas: $2.60/galHome: $224,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Old Town Road" — Lil Nas XBest Picture: Parasite
2026Age 47 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Set the Baltimore Orioles' single-season franchise record for strikeouts per nine innings (10.93) in 2007.
- Finished the 2007 season with 221 strikeouts, the most by an Orioles pitcher since the team moved to Baltimore in 1954.
- Was traded from Baltimore to Seattle in 2008 for a package that included five players, notably future All-Star center fielder Adam Jones.
- Pitched a complete-game one-hit shutout against the Texas Rangers on July 7, 2007.
Did You Know?
He was originally drafted as an outfielder by the Minnesota Twins but chose to attend college instead.
He is one of a small number of Canadian-born pitchers to record over 1,000 career strikeouts in MLB.
He famously kept a low media profile and was known for his terse, straightforward interviews.
“I just want to throw the ball and go home.”
