John Buzhardt, baseball player, 1958-1968

John Buzhardt

Born: 8/17/1936 in Prosperity, SC, USA

Died: 6/15/2008 in Prosperity, SC, USA

MLB Debut: 1958-09-10 | Final Game: 1968-09-29

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'2" | Weight: 195 lbs

Full name: John William Buzhardt

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Biography

John Buzhardt, born in 1936, was a professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1958 until his retirement in 1968. Buzhardt's career spanned a transformative period in baseball, marked by the transition from the post-war years to a more competitive landscape in the 1960s. Over the course of his tenure, he played for several teams, showcasing his skills primarily as a starting pitcher. Buzhardt finished his career with a record of 71 wins and 96 losses, an earned run average (ERA) of 3.66, and struck out 678 batters, alongside securing 7 saves. Buzhardt was known for his durability on the mound and his ability to compete in an era that emphasized pitching prowess. While he may not have achieved the glamour statistics of some of his contemporaries, his contributions to his teams were significant, particularly in close games where he often took the mound in critical situations. His ERA of 3.66 reflects a solid performance in a time when offense was beginning to flourish in the game, highlighting his effectiveness against some of the best hitters of the era. Buzhardt's legacy is remembered not only for his statistics but also for his role in the evolution of pitching during a pivotal time in baseball history.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
71 96 326 200 44 15 7 1490.7 1425 607 130 457 678 3.66 0

Career ERA 3.66 vs. league average 3.61 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1958 CHC NL 3 0 6 2 1 0 0 24.3 16 5 7 9 1.85 3.86 (+52%) -
1959 CHC NL 4 5 31 10 1 1 0 101.3 107 56 29 33 4.97 3.90 (-27%) -
1960 PHI NL 5 16 30 29 5 0 0 200.3 198 86 68 73 3.86 3.82 (-1%) 325.1
1961 PHI NL 6 18 41 27 6 1 0 202.3 200 101 65 92 4.49 4.03 (-12%) -2581.5
1962 CHW AL 8 12 28 25 8 2 0 152.3 156 71 59 64 4.19 3.96 (-6%) -
1963 CHW AL 9 4 19 18 6 3 0 126.3 100 34 31 59 2.42 3.46 (+30%) -
1964 CHW AL 10 8 31 25 8 3 0 160.0 150 53 35 97 2.98 3.58 (+17%) -
1965 CHW AL 13 8 32 30 4 1 1 188.7 167 63 56 108 3.01 3.50 (+14%) -
1966 CHW AL 6 11 33 22 5 4 1 150.3 144 64 30 66 3.83 3.52 (-9%) -
1967 CHW AL 3 9 28 7 0 0 0 88.7 100 39 37 33 3.96 3.30 (-20%) -
1967 BAL AL 0 1 7 1 0 0 0 11.7 14 6 5 7 4.63 3.30 (-40%) -127.3
1967 HOU NL 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0.7 0 0 0 0 0.00 — 0.0
1968 HOU NL 4 4 39 4 0 0 5 83.7 73 29 35 37 3.12 2.98 (-5%) 176.6

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
332 445 22 60 6 2 0 18 0 17 196 0.135 0.170 0.157 0.327 -2341.5

Career AVG .135 vs. league average .250 across their career seasons — 46.1% below league average.

Career OBP .170 vs. league average .315 across their career seasons — 46.2% below league average.

Career SLG .157 vs. league average .377 across their career seasons — 58.3% below league average.

Career OPS 0.327 vs. league average 0.692 across their career seasons — 52.8% below 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
1958 CHC NL 6 8 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0.125 — — — — 0.0
1959 CHC NL 31 29 4 2 1 0 0 0 0 1 15 0.069 — — — — 0.0
1960 PHI NL 32 62 7 10 0 1 0 1 0 1 29 0.161 .255 (-37%) .323 (-47%) .387 (-50%) .711 (-49%) -522.0
1961 PHI NL 41 57 2 6 2 0 0 1 0 3 29 0.105 .258 (-59%) .328 (-50%) .399 (-65%) .727 (-58%) -573.5
1962 CHW AL 28 51 2 6 0 0 0 1 0 2 22 0.118 .257 (-54%) .326 (-49%) .393 (-70%) .719 (-60%) -508.5
1963 CHW AL 20 48 2 4 2 0 0 1 0 0 20 0.083 — — — — 0.0
1964 CHW AL 31 54 3 11 1 1 0 6 0 2 22 0.204 .250 (-19%) .312 (-27%) .377 (-31%) .690 (-29%) -274.3
1965 CHW AL 34 56 2 7 0 0 0 3 0 5 23 0.125 .245 (-49%) .310 (-37%) .371 (-66%) .682 (-53%) -463.3
1966 CHW AL 34 43 0 5 0 0 0 2 0 2 18 0.116 — — — — 0.0
1967 CHW AL 28 20 0 4 0 0 0 2 0 0 7 0.200 — — — — 0.0
1967 BAL AL 7 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1967 HOU NL 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1968 HOU NL 39 16 0 4 0 0 0 1 0 1 6 0.250 — — — — 0.0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 326 200 133 275 13 22

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1958 CHN P 6 2 2 7 0 0
1959 CHN P 31 10 7 22 3 1
1960 PHI P 30 29 19 30 1 4
1961 PHI P 41 27 20 34 3 4
1962 CHA P 28 25 12 32 0 3
1963 CHA P 19 18 12 25 1 1
1964 CHA P 31 25 10 27 1 2
1965 CHA P 32 30 15 26 2 4
1966 CHA P 33 22 19 34 1 1
1967 CHA P 28 7 8 16 1 1
1967 BAL P 7 1 1 4 0 0
1967 HOU P 1 0 0 1 0 0
1968 HOU P 39 4 8 17 0 1

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 326