Donald Thomas Buddin (May 5, 1934 – June 30, 2011) was an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professiona ...

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists wh ...

. He played all or part of six seasons in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL) ...

for the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eig ...

(1956, 1958–61), Houston Colt .45s (1962) and

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

(1962). Listed at 5' 11" (1.80 m), 178 lb. (81 kg), Buddin batted and threw

right-handed In human biology, handedness is an individual's preferential use of one hand, known as the dominant hand, due to it being stronger, faster or more dextrous. The other hand, comparatively often the weaker, less dextrous or simply less subjecti ...

. He was born in

Turbeville, South Carolina Turbeville is a town in Clarendon County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 766 at the 2010 census, up from 602 in 2000. Geography and Infrastructure Turbeville is located in northeastern Clarendon County at (33.889433, -80.013 ...

Early life

Buddin played high school baseball in Olanta, South Carolina, where he led his team to the state championship in 1953. Buddin led The American Legion Baseball Olanta, Sc Post 85 to the State Championship game in 1951 He was a highly touted prospect, and the Boston Red Sox won a bidding war for his services. He was signed by Red Sox scout

Mace Brown Mace Stanley Brown (May 21, 1909 – March 24, 2002) was an American professional baseball player, scout and coach. He appeared in Major League Baseball, largely as a relief pitcher, over ten seasons (1935–43; 1946) for the Pittsburgh Pirates ...

for an estimated $50,000 bonus. At the time, Red Sox owner Tom Yawkey boasted that "Buddin can become one of the top ballplayers of his time". He attended nearby

Wofford College Wofford College is a private liberal arts college in Spartanburg, South Carolina. It was founded in 1854. The campus is a national arboretum and one of the few four-year institutions in the southeastern United States founded before the Americ ...

for two years and joined the Red Sox prior to the 1956 season.

Major League career

He became the Red Sox starting shortstop from 1956 through 1961, with the exception of the 1957 season, which he spent in military service. Buddin led the

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...

in errors by a shortstop in 1958 and 1959, and finished third and second in that category in 1956 and 1960. His defensive struggles led one Boston sportswriter to write that Buddin's car should bear the license plate "E-6," and the nickname "Bootin' Buddin," given by Red Sox fans. In 1959, the Red Sox bought infielder

Pumpsie Green Elijah Jerry "Pumpsie" Green (October 27, 1933 – July 17, 2019) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) infielder who played with the Boston Red Sox (1959–62) and New York Mets (1963). A switch-hitter who threw right-handed, he was li ...

to compete for Buddin's job. With the promotion of Green, the Red Sox became the last team to integrate their roster. Buddin's most productive season came in 1961, when he batted a career-high .263 in 109 games. He was traded that offseason to the expansion Colt .45s for fellow shortstop

Eddie Bressoud Edward Francis Bressoud (born May 2, 1932) is a former shortstop in Major League Baseball who played from through for the New York / San Francisco Giants (1956–1961), Boston Red Sox (1962–1965), New York Mets (1966) and St. Louis Cardinals ...

. Buddin was the starting shortstop in Houston's first official

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team ...

game on April 10, 1962 — an 11–2 victory against the visiting

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is locate ...

, in which he was hitless in three

at bats In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens during their turn at bat, but a batt ...

but played errorless ball in the field and turned a

double play In baseball and softball, a double play (denoted as DP in baseball statistics) is the act of making two outs during the same continuous play. Double plays can occur any time there is at least one baserunner and fewer than two outs. In Major Leag ...

. On June 11, he hit the first grand slam in Houston franchise history against Joe Moeller of the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brookly ...

. But he batted only .163 in 40 games, and

Bob Lillis Robert Perry Lillis (born June 2, 1930) is an American former infielder, manager, coach and scout in Major League Baseball (MLB). Lillis was an original member of the expansion Houston Colt .45s who remained with the club (renamed the Astros ...

supplanted him as the Colt .45s regular shortstop. On July 20, Buddin's contract was waived to the Tigers, where he played out his final year in the Majors as a backup to Chico Fernández. In a six-season MLB career, Buddin posted a .241 batting average with 551 hits and 41

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run is ...

s in 711 games, driving in 225 runs while scoring 342 times, committing 155 errors for a .954

fielding average In baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball. It is calculated by the sum of putouts and assists, di ...

. He also played seven

minor league Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in N ...

seasons between 1952 and 1965, most prominently in the

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball ( ...

and the

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Bas ...

circuits. Buddin died in Greenville, South Carolina, at the age of 77 after a long battle with

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal bl ...

References

External links

Don Buddin
- Baseballbiography.com
SABR BioProject article by Bill NowlinVenezuelan Professional Baseball League statistics
{{DEFAULTSORT:Buddin, Don 1934 births 2011 deaths American military personnel of the Korean War Baseball players from South Carolina Boston Red Sox players Deaths from cancer in South Carolina Denver Bears players Detroit Tigers players Greensboro Patriots players Houston Colt .45s players Indianapolis Indians players Knoxville Smokies players Louisville Colonels (minor league) players Major League Baseball shortstops Patriotas de Venezuela players People from Clarendon County, South Carolina People from Florence County, South Carolina Richmond Virginians (minor league) players Roanoke Ro-Sox players Rochester Red Wings players Toronto Maple Leafs (International League) players