Charlie Buffinton

Charles G. Buffinton
born Charles G. Buffington

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1", Weight 180 lb.

• Debut May 17, 1882
• Final Game June 28, 1892
• Born June 14, 1861 in Fall River, MA USA
• Died September 23, 1907 in Fall River, MA USA

BR page

Biographical Information

"...the Christy Mathewson of the 1880s..." - The Sporting News

Charlie Buffinton was a highly successful pitcher in the 19th century with a record of 233-152. He was a two-way player, appearing in the outfield or at first base in virtually every year that he pitched. The six most similar players (according to the similarity scores method) are in the Hall of Fame, but they were all 20th century pitchers (or had the majority of their years in the 20th century), while Buffinton pitched from 1882-1892. The most similar 19th century pitcher is Silver King.

Charlie was rarely the top dog on his leagues' pitching leaderboards, not even in 1884 when he had 48 victories (he was second behind Old Hoss Radbourn that year). He mowed down a lot of hitters with strikeouts (for the time) and was often among the league leaders but never at the absolute top. The move to overhand pitching actually helped Buffinton, who threw a kind of curveball called a "drop ball". He played in three different major leagues but spent his career in only two towns, Boston and Philadelphia, playing for teams in two leagues in each town. Most of his teams were competitive, with the 1883 Boston Beaneaters and the 1891 Boston Reds winning their respective pennants. Although Buffinton appeared frequently as a position player, he was not a particularly good hitter or fielder. An arm injury in 1886 limited his playing time that season, but he came back strong the next year. He also umpired four National League games, in four different seasons, starting in 1883.

Prior to his time in the majors, he was a catcher, playing in his hometown of Fall River, a hotbed of baseball. After his playing days, he became an investor and businessman, dying at 46.

One source: Charlie Buffinton (scroll down).

Notable Achievements

• AA Winning Percentage Leader (1891)
• 20 Wins Seasons: 7 (1883-1885, 1887-1889 & 1891)
• 30 Wins Seasons: 1 (1884)
• 40 Wins seasons: 1 (1884)
• 200 Innings Pitched Seasons: 8 (1883-1885 & 1887-1891)
• 300 Innings Pitched Seasons: 7 (1883-1885, 1887-1889 & 1891)
• 400 Innings Pitched Seasons: 3 (1884, 1885 & 1888)
• 500 Innings Pitched Seasons: 1 (1884)
• 200 Strikeouts Seasons: 2 (1884 & 1885)
• 300 Strikeouts Seasons: 1 (1884)
• 400 Strikeouts Seasons: 1 (1884)

Related Sites

• Charlie Buffinton at the SABR Bio Project
• A picture of a Buffinton baseball card. The name on the card is "Buffington"

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