As a left-handed starter, Bédard was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the sixth round of the 1999 Major League Baseball draft.
He made his professional debut with the Gulf Coast Orioles, where he allowed only one earned run in 20.1 innings for an 0.44 ERA, 4th best among all minor league pitchers that year.
He spent the 2000 season with the Delmarva Shorebirds of the South Atlantic League, where he was 9–4 with a 3.57 ERA in 29 games (22 starts).
In 2001 with the Frederick Keys of the Carolina League, he led all Orioles farmhands with a 2.15 ERA and compiled a 9–2 record in 17 starts.

Bédard made his MLB debut on April 17, 2002, for the Orioles against the New York Yankees.
He entered the game in the bottom of the eighth and allowed a single to the first batter he faced (Jason Giambi) before retiring Jorge Posada on a pop fly and striking out Robin Ventura swinging before he was replaced by another reliever.
He also appeared in a game on April 21 against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and allowed an RBI single to the only batter he faced (Ben Grieve).
He was optioned to the Double-A Bowie Baysox two days later and pitched in 13 games for them, including 12 starts, with a 6–3 record and a 1.97 ERA.
He was named the Eastern League's best pitching prospect by Baseball America.
However, Bédard left his start on June 26 with pain in his left elbow and would undergo "Tommy John" ligament replacement surgery on September 10.

Bédard spent most of the 2003 season on the disabled list rehabbing his elbow and returned to make only six short starts in the minors late in the season.
He received an invitation to big-league spring training the next year and made the most of his opportunity, beating out other pitchers for the fifth spot in the starting rotation.
In 2004, he posted a 4.59 ERA in 137⅓ innings of work.
His strikeout numbers were 7.93 K/9, and he had 71 walks allowed.
Bédard was criticized for having a high pitch count (19.5 pitches/inning), forcing him to frequently make early exits from ballgames, and he was criticized for lacking a third type of pitch.

Under the tutelage of pitching coach Ray Miller, who rejoined the Orioles in the middle of the 2004 season, Bédard refined his control of the changeup (his third pitch) to go along with his 91–93 mph fastball and slurve.
In the beginning of 2005, he posted a 2.08 ERA, but after a sprained knee sidelined him for two months, he posted a 5.44 ERA.
He had one of his best statistical years in 2006, going 15–11 in 33 starts and posting a 3.76 ERA and 1.35 WHIP.
He also pitched a total of 196.1 innings, his highest in any season.

Bédard was named the Orioles' 2007 Opening Day starting pitcher.
On May 20, he recorded his first major league hit, a single up the middle in the 5th against the Washington Nationals.
In his next at-bat, he looped an RBI single over shortstop, going 2–2 with a sacrifice in the game.
On July 7, Bédard struck out 15 Texas Rangers, matching the Orioles franchise record set by Mike Mussina.
In the same game, he faced the minimum number of batters (27), as the only two batters who reached base were later out on double plays.
His 15 strikeouts also set the record for the most in a game by a Canadian.
His performance throughout the month earned him the American League Pitcher of the month award for July 2007.

Although he played for a losing team, Bédard's individual performance put him among those shortlisted to contend for the American League Cy Young Award.
Then-teammate Kevin Millar stated that Bédard "probably has the best curveball in baseball."
Bédard broke the franchise single-season strikeout record on August 26.
The previous record was held by Mike Mussina, who had 218 in 1997.

The results of an MRI on September 4 confirmed that Bédard suffered a strained oblique in his previous start on August 26.
Because the Orioles were eliminated from playoff contention later that week, manager Dave Trembley decided to shut down Bédard for the remainder of the season on September 9, prematurely ending his season by placing him on the 60-day disabled list.

Bédard finis
As a left-handed starter, Bédard was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the sixth round of the 1999 Major League Baseball draft. He made his professional debut with the Gulf Coast Orioles, where he allowed only one earned run in 20.1 innings for an 0.44 ERA, 4th best among all minor league pitchers that year. He spent the 2000 season with the Delmarva Shorebirds of the South Atlantic League, where he was 9–4 with a 3.57 ERA in 29 games (22 starts). In 2001 with the Frederick Keys of the Carolina League, he led all Orioles farmhands with a 2.15 ERA and compiled a 9–2 record in 17 starts.
Bédard made his MLB debut on April 17, 2002, for the Orioles against the New York Yankees. He entered the game in the bottom of the eighth and allowed a single to the first batter he faced (Jason Giambi) before retiring Jorge Posada on a pop fly and striking out Robin Ventura swinging before he was replaced by another reliever. He also appeared in a game on April 21 against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and allowed an RBI single to the only batter he faced (Ben Grieve). He was optioned to the Double-A Bowie Baysox two days later and pitched in 13 games for them, including 12 starts, with a 6–3 record and a 1.97 ERA. He was named the Eastern League's best pitching prospect by Baseball America. However, Bédard left his start on June 26 with pain in his left elbow and would undergo "Tommy John" ligament replacement surgery on September 10.
Bédard spent most of the 2003 season on the disabled list rehabbing his elbow and returned to make only six short starts in the minors late in the season. He received an invitation to big-league spring training the next year and made the most of his opportunity, beating out other pitchers for the fifth spot in the starting rotation. In 2004, he posted a 4.59 ERA in 137⅓ innings of work. His strikeout numbers were 7.93 K/9, and he had 71 walks allowed. Bédard was criticized for having a high pitch count (19.5 pitches/inning), forcing him to frequently make early exits from ballgames, and he was criticized for lacking a third type of pitch.
Under the tutelage of pitching coach Ray Miller, who rejoined the Orioles in the middle of the 2004 season, Bédard refined his control of the changeup (his third pitch) to go along with his 91–93 mph fastball and slurve. In the beginning of 2005, he posted a 2.08 ERA, but after a sprained knee sidelined him for two months, he posted a 5.44 ERA. He had one of his best statistical years in 2006, going 15–11 in 33 starts and posting a 3.76 ERA and 1.35 WHIP. He also pitched a total of 196.1 innings, his highest in any season.
Bédard was named the Orioles' 2007 Opening Day starting pitcher. On May 20, he recorded his first major league hit, a single up the middle in the 5th against the Washington Nationals. In his next at-bat, he looped an RBI single over shortstop, going 2–2 with a sacrifice in the game. On July 7, Bédard struck out 15 Texas Rangers, matching the Orioles franchise record set by Mike Mussina. In the same game, he faced the minimum number of batters (27), as the only two batters who reached base were later out on double plays. His 15 strikeouts also set the record for the most in a game by a Canadian. His performance throughout the month earned him the American League Pitcher of the month award for July 2007.
Although he played for a losing team, Bédard's individual performance put him among those shortlisted to contend for the American League Cy Young Award. Then-teammate Kevin Millar stated that Bédard "probably has the best curveball in baseball." Bédard broke the franchise single-season strikeout record on August 26. The previous record was held by Mike Mussina, who had 218 in 1997.
The results of an MRI on September 4 confirmed that Bédard suffered a strained oblique in his previous start on August 26. Because the Orioles were eliminated from playoff contention later that week, manager Dave Trembley decided to shut down Bédard for the remainder of the season on September 9, prematurely ending his season by placing him on the 60-day disabled list.
Bédard finis
Érik Bédard