Houston Buffs
From BR Bullpen
- Location: Houston, TX
- League: American Association 1959-1961
- Affiliation: Chicago Cubs 1960-1961
- Ballpark: Buff Stadium 1959-1961
Houston, TX moved up from the Texas League to the American Association when that circuit expanded in 1959. The team lost 100 games (58-104), the last AA team to do so. Rube Walker was the club's manager that season.
In 1960 the former independent club affiliated with the Chicago Cubs. Enos Slaughter took over as the manager and also hit .289 in 40 games. Joining him in the outfield was another future Hall-of-Famer, Billy Williams (.323, 26 HR). The club also had future superstar Ron Santo and got 27 homers from 1B Joe Macko. Moe Drabowsky was 5-0 with a 0.90 ERA in a brief cup of coffee with the club. The team finished 83-71, 3th in the AA and earned a playoff slot.
Like the parent Cubs, the team used a College of Coaches in 1961 with Grady Hatton, Lou Klein, Fred Martin and Harry Craft all managing at times. The Buffs went 73-77 and finished 4th. They won in the opening round of the playoffs over the first-place Indianapolis Indians. Due to Hurricane Carla, all the games were played in Indianapolis at Victory Field. The Buffs then lost 4 games to 2 to the Louisville Colonels in the title round. The ace of the staff that year was Al Lary (15-9, 3.58) while the offense was powered by Pidge Browne (.350), Bud Zipfel (.312, 21 homers) and Jim McKnight (24 HR).
In 1962 Houston became host to a new major league team, the Houston Colt .45's and the Buffs finished up after three years of play.
Source: "The American Association" by Bill O'Neal
[edit] Year-by-Year Record
| Year | Record | Finish | Manager | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | 58-104 | 8th | Rube Walker (29-41) / Del Wilber (39-63) | |
| 1960 | 83-71 | 3rd (t) | Enos Slaughter | Lost in 1st round |
| 1961 | 73-77 | 4th | Grady Hatton / Fred Martin / Lou Klein / Harry Craft | Lost League Finals |
