Jay Buhner

Born: 8/13/1964 in Louisville, KY, USA

MLB Debut: 1987-09-11 | Final Game: 2001-10-07

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'3" | Weight: 220 lbs

Full name: Jay Campbell Buhner

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Biography

Jay Buhner was a prominent American baseball player known for his powerful hitting and strong outfield play during his career from 1987 to 2001. Born in 1964, Buhner made a significant impact in Major League Baseball, particularly with the Seattle Mariners, where he became a fan favorite and a key figure in the team's history. Over the course of 1,472 games, he accumulated 1,273 hits, 310 home runs, and 965 RBIs, finishing his career with a batting average of .254. His ability to hit for power made him a formidable presence in the lineup, and he was recognized for his contributions with one All-Star selection. Buhner's playing style was characterized by his combination of power and defensive skills in the outfield, where he showcased both a strong arm and solid fielding ability. He was part of the Mariners during a transformative era for the franchise, helping to elevate the team's competitiveness in the late 1990s. His contributions were particularly notable in the 1995 season, which marked a significant turning point for the Mariners and their rise to prominence in the playoffs. After retiring on October 7, 2001, Buhner's legacy continued to resonate with fans, establishing him as one of the most beloved players in Mariners history.

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
1472	5013	797	1273	233	19	310	965	6	792	1406	0.254	0.359	0.494	0.852	16007.9

Career AVG .254 vs. league average .264 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .359 vs. league average .332 across their career seasons — +7.9% above league average.

Career SLG .494 vs. league average .409 across their career seasons — +20.6% above league average.

Career OPS 0.852 vs. league average 0.742 across their career seasons — +14.9% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year	Team	Lg	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	Lg AVG	Lg OBP	Lg SLG	Lg OPS	PIV
1987	NYY	AL	7	22	0	5	2	0	0	1	0	1	6	0.227	—	—	—	—	0.0
1988	NYY	AL	25	69	8	13	0	0	3	13	0	3	25	0.188	.254 (-26%)	.317 (-21%)	.377 (-16%)	.695 (-18%)	-206.9
1988	SEA	AL	60	192	28	43	13	1	10	25	1	25	68	0.224	.254 (-12%)	.317 (+1%)	.377 (+21%)	.695 (+12%)	-206.9
1989	SEA	AL	58	204	27	56	15	1	9	33	1	19	55	0.275	.254 (+8%)	.319 (+7%)	.375 (+31%)	.694 (+20%)	644.3
1990	SEA	AL	51	163	16	45	12	0	7	33	2	17	50	0.276	.257 (+7%)	.324 (+10%)	.385 (+24%)	.710 (+18%)	506.1
1991	SEA	AL	137	406	64	99	14	4	27	77	0	53	117	0.244	.255 (-5%)	.323 (+4%)	.384 (+29%)	.708 (+18%)	1399.2
1992	SEA	AL	152	543	69	132	16	3	25	79	0	71	146	0.243	.255 (-5%)	.322 (+3%)	.377 (+12%)	.699 (+8%)	896.9
1993	SEA	AL	158	563	90	153	28	3	27	98	2	100	144	0.272	.265 (+3%)	.332 (+14%)	.403 (+18%)	.735 (+16%)	2130.1
1994	SEA	AL	101	358	74	100	23	4	21	68	0	66	63	0.279	.269 (+4%)	.338 (+16%)	.424 (+28%)	.763 (+23%)	1722.4
1995	SEA	AL	126	470	86	123	23	0	40	121	0	60	120	0.262	.266 (-2%)	.337 (+1%)	.417 (+36%)	.755 (+20%)	1817.7
1996	SEA	AL	150	564	107	153	29	0	44	138	0	84	159	0.271	.269 (+1%)	.340 (+8%)	.426 (+30%)	.767 (+21%)	2505.8
1997	SEA	AL	157	540	104	131	18	2	40	109	0	119	175	0.243	.266 (-9%)	.336 (+14%)	.419 (+21%)	.756 (+18%)	2412.8
1998	SEA	AL	72	244	33	59	7	1	15	45	0	38	71	0.242	.266 (-9%)	.335 (+3%)	.420 (+10%)	.755 (+7%)	348.0
1999	SEA	AL	87	266	37	59	11	0	14	38	0	69	100	0.222	.271 (-18%)	.344 (+13%)	.433 (-3%)	.778 (+4%)	439.2
2000	SEA	AL	112	364	50	92	20	0	26	82	0	59	98	0.253	.270 (-7%)	.344 (+5%)	.437 (+19%)	.782 (+13%)	1019.8
2001	SEA	AL	19	45	4	10	2	0	2	5	0	8	9	0.222	—	—	—	—	-3.6

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
26	85	12	26	3	0	8	12	13	28	0.306

Playoff Batting by Year

Year	Round	Team	G	AB	R	H	2B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
2001	ALCS	SEA	3	6	2	2	0	1	1	1	3	0.333
2001	ALDS1	SEA	2	3	0	0	0	0	0	2	1	0.000
2000	ALCS	SEA	4	11	0	2	0	0	0	1	6	0.182
2000	ALDS2	SEA	2	5	1	1	0	1	1	2	0	0.200
1997	ALDS2	SEA	4	13	2	3	0	2	2	3	6	0.231
1995	ALCS	SEA	6	23	5	7	2	3	5	2	8	0.304
1995	ALDS2	SEA	5	24	2	11	1	1	3	2	4	0.458

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1B	1	1	9	0	0	1
OF	1397	1351	2528	100	33	27

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1987	NYA	OF	7	7	11	1	0	1
1988	NYA	OF	22	16	52	2	2	0
1988	SEA	OF	59	57	134	7	1	3
1989	SEA	OF	57	57	106	6	4	3
1990	SEA	OF	40	35	55	1	2	0
1991	SEA	OF	131	110	244	15	5	4
1992	SEA	OF	150	149	314	14	2	4
1993	SEA	OF	148	146	263	8	6	2
1994	SEA	OF	96	95	178	11	2	2
1995	SEA	OF	120	120	180	5	2	0
1996	SEA	OF	142	142	251	9	3	1
1997	SEA	OF	154	153	295	5	1	3
1998	SEA	OF	70	70	127	5	2	2
1999	SEA	1B	1	1	9	0	0	1
1999	SEA	OF	85	83	127	7	1	2
2000	SEA	OF	104	101	176	4	0	0
2001	SEA	OF	12	10	15	0	0	0

Career Games by Position

Position	Games
First Base	1
Left Field	16
Center Field	30
Right Field	1357
Designated Hitter	44

Awards & Honors

Year	Award	Notes
1996	Gold Glove	OF
1995	Player of the Week	Week of 1995-09-16

Salary History

Year	Team	League	Salary
2001	SEA	AL	$1,850,000
2000	SEA	AL	$1,450,000
1999	SEA	AL	$4,816,804
1998	SEA	AL	$5,367,702
1997	SEA	AL	$4,827,962
1996	SEA	AL	$5,641,667
1995	SEA	AL	$4,066,666
1994	SEA	AL	$4,350,000
1993	SEA	AL	$2,772,500
1992	SEA	AL	$1,445,000
1991	SEA	AL	$247,500
1990	SEA	AL	$180,000
1989	SEA	AL	$80,000
1988	NYA	AL	$67,000
Total Career Earnings			$37,162,801