Athletes - Steve Busby

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	Athletes - Steve Busby

Steven Lee Busby (born September 29, 1949 in Burbank, California) is a former starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played his entire career for the Kansas City Royals (1972-76, 1978-1980). He batted and threw right handed.

A bright prospect, Busby won 56 games in his first three full seasons, only to have his career derailed by a rotator cuff tear. Drafted by the Royals in 1971 in the second round, the University of Southern California graduate made his debut the following season and stuck in the major leagues for good in 1973, when he won 16 games and on April 28 pitched the first no-hitter in Kansas City Royals history.

In 1974 Busby enjoyed his best season, winning 22 games and making the American League All-Star team. He also pitched a second no-hitter on June 19, making him the first pitcher in major-league history to throw no-hitters in each of his first two complete seasons. In 1975 he won 18 games and made the All-Star team again.

Busby had struggled with his control early in his career, but his problems returned to a greater degree in 1976 when he was diagnosed with a torn rotator cuff; an injury that at the time ended a pitcher's career. He underwent experimental surgery that allowed him to pitch again, and Busby's doctor invented the concept of a pitch count as a way of tracking Busby's recovery. Today, pitch counts are routinely monitored closely, especially with young pitchers or pitchers with a history of injuries. Modern pitchers are often removed after 100 pitches; Busby is known to have thrown 200 pitches in a game prior to his injury.

Unfortunately for Busby, the surgery did not save his career. After missing the 1977 entire season and most of 1978, he pitched in 22 games (including 12 starts) the next year, compiling a respectable 6-6 record with a 3.63 ERA, but his walks outnumbered his strikeouts (64-to-45). In 1980 he even pitched a one-hitter, but otherwise pitched ineffectively, compiling a 6.43 ERA and allowing 80 baserunners in 42.1 innings. He pitched his final game on August 26 and the Royals released him three days later. Busby signed a contract with the St. Louis Cardinals before the 1981 season, but never pitched in the major leagues again.

In an eight-year career, Busby posted a 70-54 record with 659 strikeouts and a 3.72 in 1060.2 innings.

Despite the brevity of his career, Busby was among the first two players elected to the Royals Hall of Fame. Outfielder Amos Otis was the other. His 70 career victories ranks him ninth on the Royals' all-time list.

Following the end of his career, Busby became a sportscaster, primarily for the Texas Rangers, and has also worked as an instructor at a baseball school.

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