 Despite the turmoil the Reds faced in with manager Pete Rose's betting fiasco, Birtsas managed to put together a respectable season.He made a career high 42 appearances, and went 2-2 with a 3.75 ERA while earning his only career save, a rare four inning save, against the San Francisco Giants on August 7.He also got his only career hit in eighteen career at-bats on July 2, a home run off the New York Mets' Sid Fernandez.