Buster Narum

Who was Buster Narum?

Leslie Ferdinand "Buster" Narum was a Major League Baseball right-handed starting pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles and Washington Senators.

Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Narum debuted with the Orioles in the 1963 season, finishing with no decisions in nine innings of work. The next year, he was sent to the Senators in the same trade that brought Lou Piniella to Baltimore. On May 3, 1963, Narum became the first-ever Oriole player to hit a home run in his first Major League at-bat.

Narum was a notoriously poor hitter, with a career batting average of .059, though three of Narum's seven lifetime hits were home runs.

In 96 career games Narum compiled a 14–27 record, with 220 strikeouts, a 4.45 ERA, two shutouts, and nine complete games in 396 innings pitched. After retiring, he worked as a freight salesman in the trucking industry.

Buster Narum died in Clearwater, Florida at the age of 63.