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OAKLAND -- When?Dave Stewart?was?honored with a jersey number retirement?at the Coliseum on Sunday,?Tyler Cyr?made sure he was front and center inside the dugout for the entirety of the pregame ceremony.

Though Cyr grew up an A¡¯s fan in nearby Fremont, Calif., the 29-year-old reliever is too young to have caught even the end of Stewart¡¯s career. Thanks to his grandfather, Ron Baptiste, however, he knows all about the legendary Oakland right-hander¡¯s intimidating presence on the mound.

¡°Dave Stewart means a lot to me because my grandpa would always reference him in talking about pitchers that had that look in their eye,¡± Cyr said. ¡°Guys that instilled fear in hitters before they even threw the first pitch. That¡¯s what Stew embodies. I just remember my grandpa mentioning that.¡±

Meeting Stewart before Sunday¡¯s game became a full-circle moment for Cyr, as his grandfather was actually in attendance.

¡°To actually see [Stewart] in person and shake his hand, it¡¯s just unbelievable,¡± Cyr said.

Later in the day, Cyr had another special moment. Summoned by manager Mark Kotsay for the ninth inning of a 10-3 A¡¯s lead, Cyr, who was making just his fourth Major League relief appearance, was flawless by retiring all three batters he faced, two via strikeout, to seal a victory for his hometown team.

¡°It shows that Kots and the staff has some faith in me to get out there and keep a lead in our favor,¡± Cyr said. ¡°From a selfish standpoint, it means a lot because I grew up in the Bay. To come out here in a ballgame like that and give us a happy flight, it feels really good.¡±

With Dany Jim¨¦nez and Zach Jackson out with injuries, the closer role in Oakland's bullpen is wide open. Cyr might not move into that spot just yet, but he¡¯s made a good first impression since getting called up from Triple-A Las Vegas on Sept. 6, allowing just two runs on five hits over 7 2/3 innings with the A's.

¡°You¡¯ve got to tip your cap to our baseball ops people for identifying them and bringing them into our organization,¡± Kotsay said in reference to Cyr and right-hander?Joel Payamps. ¡°They have stepped up and fulfilled these roles now that Dany and Jackson aren¡¯t with us right now. They¡¯re big right-handed arms and they¡¯re getting their opportunity to pitch in roles that could be a future role for them.¡±