Quick Facts
Biography
Leslie Ferdinand "Buster" Narum (November 16, 1940 – May 17, 2004) was a Major League Baseball right-handed starting pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles (1963) and Washington Senators (1964–1967).
Born in Philadelphia, Narum debuted with the Orioles in the 1963 season, finishing with no decisions in nine innings of work. The next year, he was sent to the Senators in the same trade that brought Lou Piniella to Baltimore. On May 3, 1963, Narum became the first-ever Oriole player to hit a home run in his first Major League at-bat (a feat since matched by Luis Montanez).
Narum was a notoriously poor hitter, with a career batting average of .059, though three of Narum's seven lifetime hits were home runs.
In 96 career games Narum compiled a 14–27 record, with 220 strikeouts, a 4.45 ERA, two shutouts, and nine complete games in 396 innings pitched. After retiring, he worked as a freight salesman in the trucking industry.
Buster Narum died in Clearwater, Florida at the age of 63.