Buster Narum

During a five-season career (1963-1967) spent mostly with the Washington Senators, right-hander Buster Narum tossed shutouts at Yankee Stadium and White Sox Park, and he struck out six future Hall of Famers.1 But Narum, owner of a .059 career batting average, is perhaps better remembered for homering in his first major-league at-bat. He was just the second American League pitcher to achieve the feat. Only three other AL hurlers did it before Major League Baseball implemented the universal designated hitter in 2022.2

Leslie Ferdinand Narum Jr. was born on November 16, 1940, in Philadelphia. His family lived in the Marine Barracks at the city’s Navy Yard according to the 1940 census. Leslie Narum Sr. had been promoted to major by the United States Marine Corps while his wife, Edith (Skurdall) was pregnant with Leslie Jr. The elder Leslie was from Iowa, his wife from North Dakota; they married in Washington state in 1927. Each of them had parents from Norway. The couple’s first child, daughter Letty, was born in Shanghai, China, while her father was stationed there in 1935.3

Shortly after Leslie Jr.’s arrival, the Narums relocated to Norfolk, Virginia. Following Edith’s 1943 separation from her husband, she and her children settled in Clearwater, Florida, where she commenced a 30-year teaching career at a preschool operated by the Elks Lodge.4

At Clearwater High School, Leslie Jr. was such an outstanding athlete that the institution later inducted him into its Sports Hall of Fame.5 The Sporting News noted he was skilled in activities like softball, golf, skiing, and table tennis, and that he “received all-conference, all-county or all-state schoolboy honors in basketball, football, baseball and tennis.”6 Before Narum’ s June 1958 graduation, local newspapers already referred to him by his nickname, “Buster.”7 He was known as “Buster,” “Bus,” “Les,” or “Leslie” after he entered professional baseball.

Narum once said that he threw “a lot of no-hitters” at Clearwater High.8 On June 23, 1958, he pitched one for his American Legion Post 7 team, striking out 18 of 21 opposing batters. Three days later, the 17-year-old signed with the Baltimore Orioles through that club’s Dunedin (Florida) area scouting supervisor, Fred Hofmann. Narum received a $25,000 bonus.9 Fifteen of the 16 major-league teams expressed interest, but Narum chose the Orioles because of the team’s manager/GM, Paul Richards. “They said he was the best handler of young pitchers, that he stuck with them and gave them a chance,” Narum explained later. “And I found out he was.”10

Prior to 1958, the size of Narum’s bonus would have forced him to remain on Baltimore’s major-league roster for two seasons. Under the new rules, however, the 6-foot-1, 194-pound right-hander was assigned to the Orioles’ Class D Appalachian League affiliate in Bluefield, West Virginia.

Bluefield finished with the worst record in the five-team circuit, 21-51. Although Narum’s 3-10 record gave him the most losses in the league in ‘58, his 3.91 ERA was better than average, and no one matched his 115 strikeouts (in 92 innings pitched).

Meanwhile, the major-league Orioles completed their fifth consecutive non-winning season since moving to Baltimore. Richards named Narum as one of the young pitchers that made him optimistic about the franchise’s future.11

Narum began the 1959 season in the Class AA Texas League, where he lost his only decision in three appearances with the Amarillo Gold Sox. In late April, he was sent to the Class C Northern League, where he hurled 24 consecutive scoreless innings in May for the Earl Weaver-managed Aberdeen (South Dakota) Pheasants.12 Aberdeen’s lineup featured the league’s leading hitter, Chuck Hinton (.358), and Dave Nicholson, whose 35 homers tied for tops. In 31 outings, Narum – the club’s youngest pitcher – had a 4.45 ERA, but he completed 12 of his 27 starts and posted a 14-9 record. “It wasn’t too hard with that kind of batting support behind me,” he recalled.13

Narum spent the 1960 season with the first-place team in the Class-B Three-I (Illinois-Indiana-Iowa) League, Weaver’s Fox Cities (Appleton, Wisconsin) Foxes. But his record was 4-8 (4.06 ERA) and he was limited to just 102 innings in 20 appearances (15 starts).

Nevertheless, Narum was promoted to Class AA in 1961, where his struggles continued with Baltimore’s new Texas League affiliate, the Victoria Rosebuds. The team relocated to Ardmore, Oklahoma in early June. By the latter part of that month, Narum had lost eight consecutive decisions and been sent to the bullpen.14 The Rosebuds finished last, and he was 6-14 (4.01) in 37 outings – just 13 starts – overall.

By the end of spring training 1962, The Sporting News reported that Narum was “hanging on by his fingernails.”15 Yet he did not merely make the Rochester (New York) Red Wings’ roster, he won his first four decisions in the Triple-A International League in impressive fashion.16 “A good fast ball and slider are his ‘out’ pitches,” noted sportswriter Al C. Weber.17 By the Fourth of July, Narum was 7-2 (3.23).18 Shoulder pain sidelined him for 18 days, but he wound up with a team-best 12-4 (3.83) mark.19 In his first playoff start, Narum out-dueled former big-leaguer Art Ceccarelli, shutting out the Jacksonville Suns, 2-0.20 The pitchers met again when the series went to the decisive Game Seven, but Ceccarelli blanked Rochester, 4-0.21

That fall, the Orioles added Narum to their 40-man roster. He wore a Baltimore uniform on Opening Day 1963 and made his major-league debut in the club’s fifth game, at Yankee Stadium on April 14. With the bases loaded, two out, and the Birds trailing, 3-0, he relieved starter Chuck Estrada in the bottom of the third inning. New York’s Clete Boyer greeted Narum with a two-run single, but the rookie retired the other four batters he faced before leaving for a pinch-hitter in the fifth inning.

 Narum notched his first big-league strikeout on May 2 at White Sox Park, fanning Pete Ward with two out in the fifth inning. The following night at Tiger Stadium, he enjoyed his best game as an Oriole. After relieving Estrada with Baltimore down by three runs in the bottom of the third, he issued an intentional walk to the first batter he faced. Then Narum induced Chico Fernández to ground to third baseman Brooks Robinson, who started an inning-ending double play. After Baltimore’s John Orsino was hit by a pitch leading off the top of the fourth, Narum blasted a full-count pitch from Detroit’s Don Mossi into the left-field upper deck. “Narum made no attempt to call his historic home run in the Oriole fourth,” noted the Baltimore Sun’s Lou Hatter. “Twice though, he visited the Flock’s third-base coach, Luke Appling. This kindled speculation that Narum might attempt a bunt… Maybe Old Aches and Pains imparted some batting tips.”22

In the 63rd year of American League play, Narum became the 12th player in league history homer in his first major-league at-bat.23

Narum pitched two more scoreless innings before his next chance to bat, but Orioles manager Billy Hitchcock sent Bob Saverine up to pinch-hit, explaining, “Narum had had his one hit for the year.”24 The Orioles went on to win the game, 8-5.

Although Narum collected six more hits in 1963, they came in his 49 at-bats with Rochester. On May 8, with the deadline to trim the active roster to 25 players looming, the Orioles told Narum there was “no room” for him, despite his 3.00 ERA in seven appearances covering nine innings.25 “It may have been obvious to you that Narum would be cut,” Baltimore GM Lee MacPhail told reporters. “But for over a month Buster had been thinking he was going to make it and had built it up in his own mind. When the moment came, it was a terrific disappointment.”26

With Rochester, Narum lost a 1-0 heartbreaker to Babe Birrer in Buffalo on July 15. The only hit he allowed was a first-inning leadoff double by Elio Chacón, and Narum was nicked for the game’s lone run on a walk, a sacrifice bunt, and an error by Red Wings’ outfielder Sam Bowens in the bottom of the eighth.27 Overall, Narum went 6-12 with a 4.88 ERA in Triple A. Noting that he was “expected to become one of the circuit’s biggest winners this year,” The Sporting News opined, “Buster Narum ranks as Rochester’s biggest pitching disappointment.”28

From October 20, 1963, to March 6, 1964, Narum was on baseball’s National Defense List while he served in the Army.29 Nevertheless, while Baltimore Sun correspondent Doug Brown rated Bowens the Orioles’ top rookie prospect heading into spring training, he added, “Among the other youngsters, pitchers Wally Bunker, John Miller and Buster Narum seem to have the best chance of making the squad.”30 Instead, on March 31 – less than two weeks before Opening Day – Narum was sold to the Washington Senators for a price Brown reported as “an estimated $20,000 and a player to be named later.”31 Later, Washington sportswriter Bob Addie said the figure was $50,000.32 After outfield prospect Lou Piniella was discharged from the army that summer, the Senators sent him to the Orioles to complete the deal.33

“Narum was an angry young man with the Rochester club last season,” observed Senators GM George Selkirk. “The Orioles gave him only a seven-game tryout before they shipped him back to the minors, and Narum was sulking at Rochester. Everybody in the league knew he could pitch… I knew I wanted him with the Senators.”34

The Senators had lost an AL-worst 106 games the previous year, and they finished in ninth place with a 62-100 record in 1964. But Narum filled the team’s number-two rotation slot. His career-high 199 innings trailed only left-hander Claude Osteen, as did his 121 strikeouts, and 32 starts (plus six relief appearances). On April 27, in Los Angeles, Narum beat the Angels for his first major-league win. His first complete game, on May 14, was a four-hit victory over the Orioles. His first shutout came at White Sox Park the Sunday before Memorial Day; his second at Yankee Stadium on August 26, against the team headed to its fifth consecutive AL pennant.

Narum’s record was 6-3 through June 9, but he lost six of seven decisions before finishing 9-15, tied for second in the league in losses behind the Athletics’ Diego Segui (8-17). The 31 homers Narum surrendered were more than all but a handful of AL hurlers. He was taken deep 20 times in his home park, D.C. Stadium, where his ERA was 5.27, as opposed to 3.29 on the road.

In December 1964, the Senators sent Osteen to the Los Angeles Dodgers in a seven-player swap that brought 6-foot-7 slugger Frank Howard to the Nation’s Capital. Washington also received right-hander Phil Ortega, who replaced Osteen as the club’s Opening Day pitcher. Narum, too, was expected to fill the void created by the ace’s departure. “Narum should win at least 15 games,” said Selkirk. “Bus’ trouble is that he gets careless.”35

Narum beat the Red Sox in Washington’s second game of 1965, but he finished April with a 1-3 record and 7.65 ERA. He spent most of May in the bullpen and had 36 walks in 43 innings by the end of that month. Even when Narum pitched well, things did not go his way. For example, in Kansas City on July 31, he held the Athletics hitless through five innings and led, 4-0, before he batted in the top of the sixth. But Narum was hit by a Jack Aker pitch, departed with a bruised wrist, and wound up with a no-decision when the Senators bullpen let the game slip away.36

Meanwhile, Pete Richert – a southpaw Washington acquired in the Osteen deal – blossomed into an All-Star, 15-game winner. Narum finished 4-12 with a 4.46 ERA in 46 appearances (24 starts). “He’s a puzzle,” remarked Senators manager Gil Hodges that fall. “At times, I think Buster has as much stuff as it’s possible for a pitcher to have. He is strong as a bull. He has the faculty or physical equipment to be as strong at the finish as at the beginning. But the trouble is that last season he wasn’t around much at the finish.”37

Narum described Hodges as a “solid baseball man.” In 1970, he said, “Hodges wasn’t very communicative, as I recall. But he had good rapport with the players. Nobody got too close to him, but he had everybody’s respect.”38

Over the 1965-66 offseason, Narum regularly drove from his Clearwater home to Tampa, where the Senators’ Florida Instructional League (FIL) affiliate was based. He was not on the FIL club’s roster, but Narum worked out daily with one of its coaches, former big-league pitcher Sid Hudson, Washington’s representative in two 1940s All-Star Games. The Senators told Narum that he needed a third reliable pitch, and Hudson helped him develop a curve.39 Hudson used a sling that attached to the thumb and second finger on Narum’s pitching hand and strapped around the hurler’s wrist to prevent him from rolling the thumb over the ball and “blurring” the pitch.40

After relying on his slider too much the previous season, during spring training 1966, Narum said he planned to abandon that pitch altogether. Armed with his new curveball/fastball/changeup repertoire, he predicted that he would 15 games.41

However, it proved to be a lost year for Narum. After he was clobbered for a 21.60 ERA in three April relief appearances, he was demoted to the Hawaii Islanders of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League. In 26 starts and one relief outing, his record was 8-11 (4.84), and The Sporting News reported that he was “handicapped for more than a month by a variety of ailments.”42

Narum returned to Hawaii in 1967 and lowered his ERA by more than a full run, to 3.53. His 128 strikeouts and 35 walks over 158 innings represented his best K:BB ratio as a professional. The curveball he worked on with Hudson had become his primary pitch.43 In September, the Senators recalled him and gave him two starts against the Orioles. In the first, at D.C. Stadium, he worked into the sixth inning but received a no decision. Then, in what proved to be his final major-league appearance, Narum threw six innings of two-hit ball to beat the Orioles in Baltimore on September 26. In five big-league campaigns, his record was 14-27 with a 4.45 ERA in 96 games (58 starts). After his first at-bat homer, he went deep two more times – victimizing Jim Bouton and Earl Wilson – though he totaled just seven overall hits in 118 at-bats at the top level.

On March 13, 1968, the Senators traded Narum to the White Sox in a six-player deal. Although he did not allow a run in five exhibition innings for his new club, Narum suspected he did not have a real chance to make the roster, and he was one of the team’s final cuts. After Narum cleared waivers, the White Sox assigned him to their new PCL affiliate – the Hawaii Islanders.

When Narum announced that he would not report to Honolulu for a third straight year, White Sox GM Ed Short said, “Mr. Narum can do whatever he wants to do. He can go home for all I care.”44 Narum’s contract was sold to Washington’s new Triple-A affiliate, the Buffalo (New York) Bisons of the International League. In 12 outings, he went 0-4 (8.10). He was released in mid-July.45  

Before spring training 1969, Narum joined the shorthanded American League squad for the March of Dimes Old-Timers Game at Al Lang Field. He pitched the last three innings and took the loss, surrendering the decisive two-run double to 46-year-old future Hall of Famer Red Schoendienst.46 Narum caught on with the Tulsa Oilers, the St. Louis Cardinals’ Triple-A, American Association team. “I still felt I could pitch winning ball,” he said. Working out of the bullpen for all but two of his 28 appearances, Narum posted a 3.74 ERA and helped manager Warren Spahn’s team reach the league finals. “I developed a pretty good sinker,” Narum reported.47

In late 1969, Narum married Mary Raif, a schoolteacher whom he had met when he was pitching for Rochester. They lived in Woodstock, New York. That winter, Narum told the Kingston Daily Freeman that he expected to be a reliever for some team in 1970, and that he realized it would be a hard road back to the majors. Still just 29, he had taken real estate exams in anticipation of a future career and acknowledged that he was open to coaching or managing.48

When Narum did not land a bullpen job for 1970, his professional baseball career ended after 12 seasons. He spent the summer of 1970 as the ace of the semipro Mid Hudson Valley Rookie League’s Kingston Braves. He led the club to the championship, while conducting clinics and providing instruction.49 For the next several years, Narum’s name often appeared in the Daily Freeman’s sports pages for his slugging exploits with the Beekman Arms, of the (Kingston) City Slow Pitch Softball League.50

Eventually, he and his wife moved to Clearwater, where they raised their children, daughter Shelly and son Doug. Narum owned and operated a furniture store for a time. He also did real estate sales, property management, and small engine repair.51

Narum was 63 when he died on May 17, 2004, in Clearwater. His remains were cremated.

Acknowledgments

This biography was reviewed by Gregory H. Wolf and Bruce Harris and fact-checked by Jeff Findley.

Sources

In addition to sources cited in the Notes, the author consulted baseball-reference.com, retrosheet.org, and sabr.org/bioproject.

Notes

1 According to Baseball Reference, Narum fanned Luis Aparicio (seven times), Al Kaline (twice), Mickey Mantle (twice), Robin Roberts (twice), Brooks Robinson (twice), and Harmon Killebrew (once).

2 Bill Lefebvre (1938 Red Sox) was the only AL pitcher to homer in his first at-bat before Narum. Later, Don Rose (1972 Angels), Esteban Yan (2000 Devil Rays), and Daniel Norris (2015 Tigers) did it. Thirteen NL pitchers achieved the feat: Bill Duggleby (1898 Phillies), Clise Dudley (1929 Robins), Dan Bankhead (1947 Dodgers), Hoyt Wilhelm (1952 Giants), John Montefusco (1974 Giants), José Sosa (1975 Astros), Jim Bullinger (1992 Cubs), Dustin Hermanson (1997 Expos), Guillermo Mota (1999 Expos), Gene Stechschulte (2001 Cardinals), Adam Wainwright (2006 Cardinals), Mark Worrell (2008 Cardinals), and Tommy Milone (2011 Nationals). Some sources also include Billy Gumbert (1890 Allegheny City). https://www.mlb.com/news/home-run-in-first-at-bat-c265623820 (accessed August 3, 2024).

3 Betsy Bolger-Paulet, “Popular Teacher Touched the Lives of Her Students,” Tampa Bay (Florida) Times, February 21, 1996. Accessed April 14, 2024, https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1996/08/21/popular-teacher-touched-the-lives-of-her-students/.

4 Bolger-Paulet, “Popular Teacher Touched the Lives of Her Students.”

5 Bolger-Paulet, “Popular Teacher Touched the Lives of Her Students.”

6 Bob Addie, “Nats Send Wayward Bus to Florida Shop to Overhaul Bender,” The Sporting News, November 20, 1965: 19.

7 Jimmy Selman, “Terriers Play Sailors; Western Lead at Stake in Two Other Contests,” Tampa Morning Tribune, January 28, 1958: 19.

8 George Minot, “Fast-Baller Buster Narum of Nats Uses Sinker Pitch Against Lefties,” Washington Post, May 29, 1964: E14.

9 Associated Press, “Orioles Sign Clearwater Ace for $25,000,” St. Lucie (Florida) News Tribune, June 27, 1958: 7.

10 Minot, “Fast-Baller Buster Narum of Nats Uses Sinker Pitch Against Lefties.”

11 “Players Invited to Baltimore’s Kid Camp, with ’58 Records,” The Sporting News, January 14, 1959: 15.

12 “Nicholson on Homer Spree,” The Sporting News, June 3, 1959: 36.

13 Charles J. Tiano, “Buster Narum Story,” Kingston (New York) Daily Freeman, March 12, 1970: 26.

14 “Gold Sox Turn Triple Play,” The Sporting News, July 5, 1961: 31.

15 Al C. Weber, “Rookie Buster Narum Hill Ace,” The Sporting News, June 16, 1962: 35.

16 “Narum Blossoms as Wing Ace,” The Sporting News, June 9, 1962: 46.

17 Weber, “Rookie Buster Narum Hill Ace.”

18 “Int Averages,” The Sporting News, July 14, 1962: 34.

19 “Wings in Speedy Twin-Bill,” The Sporting News, August 4, 1962: 38.

20 “Playoffs,” The Sporting News, September 29, 1962: 27.

21 “International League,” The Sporting News, September 29, 1962: 28.

22 Lou Hatter, “Orioles Beat Tigers, 8 to 5, with 2 Homers in 9th,” Baltimore Sun, May 4, 1963: S15.

23 Ed Eagle, “Players with Home Run in first At-Bat,” MLB.com, September 1, 2023,

https://www.mlb.com/news/home-run-in-first-at-bat-c265623820, (accessed May 5, 2024).

24Narum’s next big-league hit came 13 ½ months later on June 17, 1965, a bunt single against the Angels’ Bo Belinsky in his 26th career at-bat. Doug Brown, “Bird Seed,” The Sporting News, May 18, 1963: 14.

25 Tiano, “Buster Narum Story.”

26 “And Now… 25 in Nest,” Baltimore Sun, May 12, 1963: A5.

27 “Narum Loses One-Hit Gem,” The Sporting News, July 27, 1963: 28.

28 “International Items,” The Sporting News, August 24, 1963: 38.

29 Buster Narum contract card from The Sporting News’ archives.

30 Doug Brown, “Bowens Boomed as No. 1 Prospect,” The Sporting News, February 22, 1964: 15.

31 Doug Brown, “Bird Seed,” The Sporting News, April 11, 1964: 17.

32 Bob Addie, “Nats Send Wayward Bus to Florida Shop to Overhaul Bender,” The Sporting News, November 20, 1965: 19.

33 Bob Addie, “Nat Notes,” The Sporting News, September 5, 1964: 10.

34 Shirley Povich, “This Morning…” Washington Post, August 28, 1964: D1.

35 Bob Addie, “Nat Notes,” The Sporting News, February 20, 1965: 23.

36 “Bus Narum Forced to Quit in Midst of No-Hitter Bid,” The Sporting News, August 14, 1965: 10.

37 Addie, “Nats Send Wayward Bus to Florida Shop to Overhaul Bender.”

38 Tiano, “Buster Narum Story.”

39 Addie, “Nats Send Wayward Bus to Florida Shop to Overhaul Bender.”

40 Bob Addie, “Buster Worked Overtime,” The Sporting News, December 25, 1965: 24.

41 Bob Addie, “Narum Predicts 15-Game Season,” Washington Post, February 16, 1966: B2.

42 “Coast Clippings,” The Sporting News, August 6, 1966: 31.

43 “Buster Narum Makes Good in His ‘One More’ Trip to Minors,” The Sporting News, September 23, 1967: 16.

44 Associated Press, “Narum Rebels Against Sox,” San Antonio (Texas) Express, April 2, 1968: 29.

45 “Deals of the Week,” The Sporting News, July 28, 1968: 40.

46 Fred Lieb, “N.L.’s Old-timers Triumph on a Hit by Schoendienst,” The Sporting News, March 8, 1969: 47.

47 Tiano, “Buster Narum Story.”

48 Tiano, “Buster Narum Story.”

49 “Narum Conducts Clinic for Roundout Babe Ruth,” Kingston (New York) Daily Freeman, September 26, 1970: 5.

50 “Dinky Dugan SP Homer King,” Kingston Daily Freeman, October 7, 1971: 22.

51 Doug Narum, e-mail to author, July 3, 2024.