John Buzhardt

John William Buzhardt

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 2", Weight 198 lb.
• High School Prosperity High School
• Debut September 10, 1958
• Final Game September 29, 1968
• Born August 17, 1936 in Prosperity, SC USA
• Died June 15, 2008 in Prosperity, SC USA

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Biographical Information

“The more I see Buzhardt, the more I’m reminded of Johnny Sain. He looks like Sain and acts like him and even walks like him. He’s all business out there on the mound.” - Alvin Dark, to Jerome Holtzman of The Sporting News

Buzhardt circa 1966

Pitcher John Buzhardt played eleven seasons in the majors, most notably as a member of the Chicago White Sox rotation in the mid-1960s.

After five seasons in the minors, where he posted a 59-56 record with a 3.98 ERA, Buzhardt first came up with the Chicago Cubs during the 1958 season and won all three of his decisions. After being traded to the Philadelphia Phillies in the deal that brought Richie Ashburn to Chicago, he was often the victim of poor run support with records of 5-16, 3.86 in 30 games in 1960 and 6-18, 4.49 in 41 games in 1961. He earned a win for the Phillies on July 28, 1961 in the second game of a doubleheader against the San Francisco Giants and on August 20, 1961, over the Milwaukee Braves. Between those two games, the Phillies had a 23-game losing streak, the longest in Major League history.

On November 28, 1961, the Phillies traded Buzhardt, along with Charley Smith, to the White Sox for Roy Sievers. From 1962 to 1967 he was quietly effective, with two straight winning seasons in which his ERA was under 3.00 and a 13-8, 3.01 record in 1965. He later pitched for the Baltimore Orioles and the Houston Astros near the end of his eleven year stay in the majors which ended in 1968. His career record in The Show was 71-96, including 15 shutouts, 7 saves and a 3.66 ERA.

After baseball, John resided in his hometown of Prosperity, South Carolina, where he was a foreman for the Kodak Company. He died on June 15, 2008 at the age of 72.

Notable Achievements

• 200 Innings Pitched Seasons: 2 (1960 & 1961)

Sources

Baseball-Reference.com
Baseball Players of the 1950s

Related Sites

• John Buzhardt at the SABR Bio Project