1976 Topps #260 - Steve Busby

• Steve Busby pitched for the Kansas City Royals from 1972-1980. He was drafted in 1971 and spent 1971 and part of 1972 in the minors. He earned a promotion to the Royals after going 12-14 with a 3.19 ERA in 30 starts at AAA Omaha. Steve went 3-1 with a 1.58 ERA in five starts for the Royals to finish the 1972 season.

• In 1973 Steve finished third in AL Rookie of the Year voting behind Al Bumbry (.337 batting average) and Pedro Garcia. He was 16-15 with a 4.23 ERA in 37 starts. On April 27 Busby pitched the first no-hitter in Royals history.

• Steve was a real workhorse in 1974. Busby was 22-14 with a 3.39 ERA in 38 starts. He completed 20 games and pitched 293 innings. He was selected for the AL All Star team but didn't appear in the game. Busby pitched a second no-hitter on June 19. It's hard to believe Busby's 20 complete games was 8th in the AL that year.

• Busby had another good year in 1975. He was 18-12 with a 3.08 ERA in 34 starts. He made the AL All Star team again (2 IP, 1 run allowed).

• In 1976 Steve was 3-3 with a 4.40 ERA in 13 starts when he had a torn rotator cuff and missed the remainder of the season. He became the first pitcher to undergo surgery for a torn rotator cuff. Busby missed the entire 1977 season. He came back in April 1978, started four games (only getting past the 4th inning once), and went back to the minors to do some rehab work. Steve came back in September and pitched in three more games for the Royals. He ended up 1-0 with a 7.59 ERA in 1978.

• Steve pitched in 22 games (12 starts) in 1979. He was 6-6 with a 3.63 ERA. He started with teh Royals in 1980 and then spent two months in Omaha in 1980. He was pretty successful at Omaha (3-2, 2.48 ERA in 8 starts), but was 1-3 with a 6.17 ERA for the Royals. Busby was released on August 29, 1980. He tried to catch on with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1981 but retired during spring training.

• Busby, along with Amos Otis was one of the first two players elected to the KC Royals Hall of Fame. After his playing career Steve did some sportscasting with the Texas Rangers and was an instructor at a baseball school. Here is a good "Where are They Now" article about Busby.

• Liked to face: Reggie Jackson (.180 in 50 AB); Mickey Rivers (.149 in 47 AB); Ed Hermann (.133 in 30 AB)

• Hated to face: Pat Kelly (.400 in 50 AB); Carlos May (.341 in 44 AB); Mark Belanger (.345 in 29 AB)