Don Buford

Leadoff hitter for the Orioles dynasty, All-Star, and first Oriole to homer from both sides in a game.

via Wikipedia: Don Buford · see source

Donald Alvin Buford (born February 2, 1937) is an American former professional baseball player, scout, coach and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as an outfielder from 1963 through 1972, most notably as the leadoff hitter for the Baltimore Orioles dynasty that won three consecutive American League pennants from 1969 to 1971 and won the 1970 World Series over the Cincinnati Reds. He also played for the Chicago White Sox and played in the Nippon Professional Baseball league from 1973 to 1976. Buford also played as an infielder and was a switch hitter who threw right-handed. In 1993, Buford was inducted into the Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame.

Quick Facts

Position

Left fielder
Second baseman
Third baseman

Born

2 February 1937

Birthplace

Linden, Texas, U.S.

Bats

Switch

Throws

Right

Debut league

MLB

Debut date

September 14

Debut year

1963

Lore & Background

In the first game of the 1969 World Series against the New York Mets, Buford hit a leadoff home run against fellow ex-USC Trojan Tom Seaver. (Other players who have led off a World Series with a home run include Chris Taylor, Dexter Fowler, Dustin Pedroia, Alcides Escobar, and Jorge Soler, among others.) Buford was the first Baltimore Oriole to homer from both sides of the plate in the same game, on April 9, 1970. He also had the dubious distinction of being the first Oriole to strike out five times in one game, on August 26, 1971.

Reader's Guide

Buford was traded along with Bruce Howard and Roger Nelson to the Baltimore Orioles for Luis Aparicio, Russ Snyder and John Matias on November 29, 1967. In 1968 he batted .282 with 15 home runs. In 1969, Buford hit a career-high .291 as the Orioles won the American League pennant. In 1970 Buford batted .272 with 17 home runs and a career high 109 walks. In 1971 Buford batted .290 with a career-high 19 home runs and was selected to the All-Star team for the only time in his career. In each of the Orioles’ three pennant-winning seasons Buford scored 99 runs, leading the American League in that category in 1971.

Did You Know?

Buford hit a leadoff home run in Game 1 of the 1969 World Series, but it was not the first in World Series history.
He scored 99 runs in 1971, finishing second in the American League behind Reggie Jackson's 113.