[5] He played for the Knoxville Smokies of the Class B South Atlantic League in 1927, where he batted .331 with 15 home runs in 140 games.

[7] In 1928, the Yankees optioned Byrd to the Albany Senators of the Class A Eastern League, and he batted .371 with 18 home runs in 130 games.

[8][9] Byrd made his Major League Baseball debut with the Yankees on May 11, 1929, as a pinch hitter and defensive replacement for Earle Combs.

[15] By May, Byrd was experiencing sinus problems and Combs had retaken the starting center fielding job.

[3][16] Aside from a 15 game stretch in September, Byrd spent the rest of the 1932 season backing up the starting outfield of Ruth, Combs, and Ben Chapman.

[18] Byrd made one appearance in the 1932 World Series as a defensive replacement for Ruth in the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 4.

[20] Byrd led American League outfielders with a .988 fielding percentage in 1934, committing two errors in 160 chances.

[24] Heading into the 1936 season, Cincinnati started Goodman, Babe Herman, and Kiki Cuyler in the outfield,[25] and Byrd returned to a reserve role.

Byrd refused the assignment to the minor leagues, and announced in February 1937 that he was retiring from baseball to focus on his golf career.

After consulting with Jones, Ed Dudley, and Bill McWane,[28] Byrd informed the Cardinals that he still intended to retire and pursue a career in golf.

[36] In January 1937, he won a golf tournament of baseball players in Sarasota, Florida, by fourteen strokes.

[1] At the 1941 Providence Open, Byrd set a competitive record at Triggs Memorial Golf Course when he shot a 66, six under par, in the first round.

[1] He won the Greater Greensboro Open in 1942 with a 279, five under par, two strokes ahead of Ben Hogan and Lloyd Mangrum.

[52] Byrd defended his Michigan PGA Championship title in August 1945, beating Chick Rutan by two strokes, 142 to 144.

[53] In November 1945, he won the Azalea Open, beating Dutch Harrison in a playoff by one stroke, after they both shot 283.

[54] In March 1946, Byrd teamed with Sam Snead in the Inverness Invitational Four-Ball, which they lost to Demaret and Hogan.

[58] Byrd married Rachel Elizabeth Smith of Birmingham in October 1932, days after the conclusion of the 1932 World Series.