Steven Lee "Buzz" Busby (born September 29, 1949) is an American former
starting pitcher
In baseball (hardball or softball), a starting pitcher or starter is the first pitcher in the game for each team. A pitcher is credited with a game started if they throw the first pitch to the opponent's first batter of a game. Starting pit ...
in
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
who played his entire career for the
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team ...
. He batted and threw right-handed.
High school
Busby attended
Fullerton Union High School in Fullerton, California.
Professional career
A bright prospect, Busby won 56 games in his first three full seasons, only to have his career derailed by a
rotator cuff tear
Rotator cuff tendinopathy is a process of senescence. The pathophysiology is mucoid degeneration. Most people develop rotator cuff tendinopathy within their lifetime.
As part of rotator cuff tendinopathy, the tendon can thin and develop a defec ...
. Drafted by the Royals in
1971 *
The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses (Solar eclipse of February 25, 1971, February 25, Solar eclipse of July 22, 1971, July 22 and Solar eclipse of August 20, 1971, August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 1971 lunar eclip ...
in the second round, the
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...
graduate made his major league debut the following season and stuck in the majors for good in
1973
Events January
* January 1 – The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union.
* January 14 - The 16-0 19 ...
, when he won 16 games and on April 27 pitched the first
no-hitter
In baseball, a no-hitter or no-hit game is a game in which a team does not record a hit (baseball), hit through conventional methods. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in ...
in Kansas City Royals history, defeating the
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 club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...
at
Tiger Stadium 3–0 on April 27.
Busby became the first no-hit pitcher who did not come to bat during the entire game, with the
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is the younger of two sports leagues, leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western L ...
having adopted the
designated hitter
The designated hitter (DH) is a baseball player who bats in place of another position player, most commonly the pitcher. Unlike other players in a team's lineup, they generally only play as an offensive player and usually do not play defense as ...
rule that year.
Late in the
1972
Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, ...
season on September 20 against the
California Angels
The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West Division. Since 1966, the team has pl ...
, Busby hit a first-inning
grand slam only to have it taken back by the first base umpire
John Rice, who said time out had been called to eject
Jerry May. Nonetheless, Busby went on to hit a double and two singles in the game, while also earning the victory on the mound.
In
1974
Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; ...
, Busby enjoyed his best season, winning 22 games and making the
American League All-Star team. He also pitched a second no-hitter on June 19, this one against the
Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. The Brewers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Di ...
at
County Stadium. Yielding only a second-inning walk to
George Scott, Busby defeated the Brewers 2–0,
besting
Clyde Wright—himself a no-hit pitcher in 1970. With this no-hitter, Busby became the first pitcher in major-league history to throw no-hitters in each of his first two complete seasons. In
1975
It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe.
Events
January
* January 1 – Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...
, he won 18 games and made the
All-Star
An all-star team is a group of people all having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and has been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry.
Sports
"All-star" as a sport ...
team again.
Busby had struggled with his control early in his career, but his problems returned to a greater degree in
1976
Events January
* January 2 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force.
* January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea.
* January 18 – Full diplomatic ...
when he was diagnosed with a torn rotator cuff; an injury that at the time ended a pitcher's career. Busby subsequently became the first baseball player to undergo rotator cuff surgery. In an effort to help his arm recover from the surgery, his doctor recommended that Busby be placed on a
pitch count
In baseball statistics, pitch count is the number of pitches thrown by a pitcher in a game.
Pitch counts are especially a concern for young pitchers, pitchers recovering from injury, or pitchers who have a history of injuries. The pitcher wants ...
. He is often believed to be the first baseball player to be placed on a pitch count, something that Busby has stated is a myth. Before his injury, he is alleged to have thrown close to 200 pitches in a game, which Busby also says is untrue.
The surgery did not save Busby's career. After missing the entire
1977
Events January
* January 8 – 1977 Moscow bombings, Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group.
* January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (no ...
season and most of
1978
Events January
* January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213.
* January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd ...
, he pitched in 22 games (including 12 starts) the
next year, compiling a respectable 6–6 record with a 3.63
ERA
An era is a span of time.
Era or ERA may also refer to:
* Era (geology), a subdivision of geologic time
* Calendar era
Education
* Academy of European Law (German: '), an international law school
* ERA School, in Melbourne, Australia
* E ...
, but his
walks outnumbered his
strikeout
In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It means the batter is out, unless the third strike is not caught by the catcher and the batter reaches first base safe ...
s (64-to-45). In
1980
Events January
* January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission.
* January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...
, he even pitched a one-hitter, but otherwise pitched ineffectively, compiling a 6.17 ERA and allowing 80 baserunners in 42.1
innings
An innings is one of the divisions of a cricket match during which one team takes its turn to bat. Innings also means the period in which an individual player bats (acts as either striker or nonstriker). In cricket and rounders, "innings" is ...
. He pitched his final game on August 26 and the Royals released him three days later. Busby signed a contract with the
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Centra ...
before the season, but never pitched in the major leagues again.
In an eight-year career, Busby posted a 70–54 record with 659 strikeouts and a 3.72 ERA in 1060.2 innings.
Busby and
outfielder
An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to catch ...
Amos Otis were the first two players elected to the Royals Hall of Fame. In 2009, Busby was elected to the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame. His 70 career victories ranks him ninth on the Royals' all-time list.
Broadcasting career
Following the end of his playing career, Busby became a
sportscaster, primarily for the
Texas Rangers, and has also worked as an instructor at a baseball school. Unlike most former players, Busby acts as both a play-by-play man and a color commentator, and traded positions with
Eric Nadel
Eric Nadel (born May 16, 1951) is an American sports announcer on radio broadcasts for the Texas Rangers baseball organization. In 2014, he was honored with the Ford C. Frick Award for broadcasting excellence by the National Baseball Hall of ...
on radio broadcasts. After replacing
Dave Barnett as television play-by-play announcer in the middle of the 2012 season, Busby had been working exclusively on play-by-play, with
Tom Grieve on color. However, in October 2016, the Rangers announced that Busby would not be returning for the 2017 season.
Dave Raymond has replaced Busby for the 2017 season.
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Busby, Steve
1949 births
Living people
American League All-Stars
Daytona Beach Islanders players
Gulf Coast Royals players
Kansas City Royals announcers
Kansas City Royals players
Major League Baseball broadcasters
Major League Baseball pitchers
Omaha Royals players
Orlando Juice players
Baseball players from Burbank, California
Baseball players from Fullerton, California
San Jose Bees players
Texas Rangers (baseball) announcers
Tiburones de La Guaira players
American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela
University of Southern California alumni
USC Trojans baseball players
All-American college baseball players
Fullerton Union High School alumni