- Charlie Buffinton
-
Charlie Buffinton Pitcher Born: June 14, 1861
Fall River, MassachusettsDied: September 23, 1907 (aged 46)
Fall River, MassachusettsBatted: Right Threw: Right MLB debut May 17, 1882 for the Boston Red Caps Last MLB appearance June 28, 1892 for the Baltimore Orioles Career statistics Record 233-152 ERA 2.96 K 1700 Teams As player
- Boston Red Caps/Beaneaters (1882–1886)
- Philadelphia Quakers (1887-1889)
- Philadelphia Athletics (1890)
- Boston Reds (1891)
- Baltimore Orioles (1892)
As manager
- Philadelphia Athletics (1890)
Career highlights and awards Seasonal Rankings
- ERA - top 5 three times, top 10 four times
- Wins - top 5 four times, top 10 eight times
- Winning percentage - led league once (1891), top 5 four times, top 10 five times
- Shutouts - top 5 four times, top 10 six times
- Strikeouts - top 5 six times, top 10 seven times
- Strikeout to walk ratio - top 5 five times, top 10 seven times
Charles G. Buffinton, born Buffington (June 14, 1861 - September 23, 1907), was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball from 1882 to 1892. One of the workhorse pitchers of the 1880s, he won 20 games seven times and his 1700 career strikeouts are the ninth-highest total of the 19th century.
Born in Fall River, Massachusetts, Buffinton – mainly known for his brilliant sinker ball[1] – began his career with the Boston Red Caps/Beaneaters. He played in the days of 2- or 3-man pitching staffs and was a big part of many of his teams' successes. From 1883 to 1885 he was one of Boston's two principal pitchers along with Jim Whitney; together they picked up 62 of Boston's 63 wins in 1883[2] when the Beaneaters took the pennant. Buffinton's best season came right after that, though, when he went 48-16 with a 2.15 ERA in 67 starts in 1884. During that season, he struck out 17 batters in one game, won 13 straight games, and ended the year with 417 strikeouts, becoming one of seven pitchers that season to break the previous record of 361. Typical of the era, he completed 63 of his starts, with 8 being shutouts. Such win totals were not completely extraordinary at the time, as Buffinton's only 30-win season ranked third in the major leagues that year as Charles Radbourn set a record with 60 wins.
After a poor 1886 season which saw him drop to 7-10 in more limited play due to arm trouble, his contract was sold to the Philadelphia Quakers in 1887. He pitched two one-hitters in a row for the team at one point and became the mainstay of their staff during his three years there, winning over 20 games in each. He jumped to the Philadelphia Athletics of the Players' League in 1890, posting a 19-15 record and managing the team for most of the year, before shifting to the American Association's Boston Reds in 1891. In Boston, he enjoyed a 29-9 year for the league champions - his last 20-win campaign. After a 4-8 record with the Baltimore Orioles in 1892, he retired rather than accept a midseason pay cut[1] and went into business as an investor in coal and cotton.[3] In 1893 the pitching distance in baseball was increased from 50 feet to 60 feet 6 inches, effectively ending his chances of returning.
In an 11-year career, Buffinton had a record of 233-152 with a 2.96 ERA in 414 games (396 starts). He pitched 351 complete games, including 30 shutouts, struck out 1700 and allowed 1120 earned runs in 3404 innings pitched. At the time of his retirement he ranked between seventh and tenth in virtually every career pitching category, although due to the short history of the major leagues all of those ahead of him were his contemporaries. As the 1890s progressed he quickly dropped further down the lists.
During his career, he also played as an outfielder for 137 games, and batted a respectable .245 for his career.
Buffinton died in Fall River, Massachusetts at the age of 46 from heart disease.[4] He was laid to rest at the Oak Grove Cemetery in Fall River.[4]
See also
References
- ^ a b BaseballLibrary.com. Retrieved October 27, 2006.
- ^ BaseballReference.com - 1883 Boston Beaneaters. Retrieved October 27, 2006.
- ^ TheBaseballPage.com. Retrieved October 27, 2006.
- ^ a b TheDeadBallEra.com. Retrieved October 27, 2006.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
- BaseballAlmanac.com
- FindAGrave.com - photos of grave site
Preceded by
Jim FogartyPhiladelphia Quakers/Athletics (PL/AA) Managers
1890Succeeded by
Bill SharsigBoston Beaneaters 1883 National League Champions Charlie Buffinton | Jack Burdock | Mert Hackett | Mike Hines | Joe Hornung | John Morrill | Paul Radford | Edgar Smith | Ezra Sutton | Jim Whitney | Sam Wise
Managers Jack Burdock | John MorrillBoston Reds 1891 American Association Champions Dan Brouthers | Tom Brown | Charlie Buffinton | Bill Daley | Hugh Duffy | Duke Farrell | Clark Griffith | George Haddock | Bill Joyce | Jack McGeachey | Morgan Murphy | Cinders O'Brien | Paul Radford | Hardy Richardson | Cub Stricker
Manager Arthur IrwinHistory American Printing Company • Battle of Freetown • B.M.C. Durfee High School • Bradford Durfee College of Technology • Corky Row Historic District • Downtown Fall River Historic District • Fall River Branch Railroad • Fall River Railroad (1846) • Fall River Railroad (1874) • Fall River Iron Works • Fall River Line • Great Fall River Fire of 1928 • Highlands Historic District (Fall River, Massachusetts) • History of Fall River, Massachusetts • Lower Highlands Historic District • Historic Places • Oak Grove Cemetery • Pocasset Manufacturing Company • Slade's Ferry Bridge • The Skeleton in Armor • Truesdale Hospital • USS Fall River (CA-131)Geography People Mariano S. Bishop • Lizzie Borden • Nathaniel B. Borden • Richard Borden • Matthew Borden • Charlie Buffinton • James Buffington • Robert Correia • John W. Cummings • Orin Fowler • Emeril Lagasse • List of mayors of Fall River, Massachusetts • Humberto Sousa Cardinal Medeiros • Joe Raposo • Jerry Remy • Melvin ZaisPlaces Academy Building • Al Mac's Diner-Restaurant • Battleship Cove • Bishop Connolly High School • B.M.C. Durfee High School • Braga Bridge • Bristol Community College • Copicut Woods • Diman Regional Vocational Technical High School • Durfee Mills • Fall River Government Center • Fall River Heritage State Park • Flint Mills • Interstate 195 (Rhode Island-Massachusetts) • King Philip Mills • List of mills in Fall River, Massachusetts • Marine Museum at Fall River • New Harbour Mall • Old Colony & Fall River Railroad Museum • Quequechan Club • Roman Catholic Diocese of Fall River • Route 24Categories:- 1861 births
- 1907 deaths
- Major League Baseball pitchers
- Baseball player–managers
- 19th-century baseball players
- Boston Beaneaters players
- Philadelphia Athletics (PL) players
- Philadelphia Athletics (PL) managers
- Boston Reds (AA) players
- Baseball players from Massachusetts
- People from Fall River, Massachusetts
- San Francisco Californias players
- Philadelphia Phillies (minor league) players
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.