What years did Buddy Black play?

Buddy Black played in Major League Baseball from 1981 to 1995.

Was Buddy Black a pitcher?

Yes. Buddy Black pitched in the major leagues, recording 121 wins and 1039 strikeouts.

How many home runs did Buddy Black hit?

Buddy Black hit 0 career home runs with 26 hits.

What was Buddy Black's career batting average?

Buddy Black batted .145 over his career, with 26 hits in 179 at bats.

How many RBI did Buddy Black have?

Buddy Black drove in 12 runs in his career.

What was Buddy Black's career ERA?

Buddy Black finished with a 3.84 career ERA, going 121-116 with 1,039 strikeouts.

Buddy Black

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1981-1995)

Buddy Black was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1981 to 1995 for 5 teams, including the Seattle Mariners, a span of 15 seasons. Across 398 career appearances, he went 121-116 with a 3.84 ERA and 1,039 strikeouts.

W (Wins):: Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
ERA (Earned Run Average):: Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.
SO (Strikeouts):: For a batter, times retired on a third strike; for a pitcher, batters retired on a third strike.
WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched):: Baserunners allowed per inning: (BB + H) ÷ IP. Under 1.00 is elite.

Data updated October 12, 2026

W–L 121–116

ERA 3.84

WHIP 1.27

SO 1,039

Pitcher PIV -11746.5

Position: Pitcher
Bats / Throws: L / L
Height / Weight: 6'2" / 180 lb
Born: 6/30/1957 in San Mateo, CA, USA
MLB Debut: 1981-09-05
Last Game: 1995-07-09

Full name: Harry Ralston Black

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Career Pitching Statistics

Buddy Black — Career Pitching Statistics
W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA	Pitcher PIV
121	116	398	296	32	12	11	2053.1	1,978	876	217	623	1,039	3.84	-11746.5

Career ERA 3.84 vs. league average 3.96 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Buddy Black Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year	Team	Lg	W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA	Lg ERA	Pitcher PIV
1981	SEA	AL	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	1.0	2	0	3	0	0.00	—	0.0
1982	KCA	AL	4	6	22	14	0	0	0	88.1	92	45	34	40	4.58	3.86 (-19%)	-1493.5
1983	KCA	AL	10	7	24	24	3	0	0	161.1	159	68	43	58	3.79	3.87 (+2%)	-2143.5
1984	KCA	AL	17	12	35	35	8	1	0	257.0	226	89	64	140	3.12	3.81 (+18%)	1526.6
1985	KCA	AL	10	15	33	33	5	2	0	205.2	216	99	59	122	4.33	3.89 (-11%)	1841.8
1986	KCA	AL	5	10	56	4	0	0	9	121.0	100	43	43	68	3.20	3.97 (+19%)	-1265.5
1987	KCA	AL	8	6	29	18	0	0	1	122.1	126	49	35	61	3.60	4.29 (+16%)	-799.6
1988	KCA	AL	2	1	17	0	0	0	0	22.0	23	12	11	19	4.91	3.73 (-31%)	5.6
1988	CLE	AL	2	3	16	7	0	0	1	59.0	59	33	23	44	5.03	3.73 (-35%)	-352.1
1989	CLE	AL	12	11	33	32	6	3	0	222.1	213	83	52	88	3.36	3.71 (+9%)	1193.6
1990	CLE	AL	11	10	29	29	5	2	0	191.0	171	75	58	103	3.53	3.86 (+8%)	3.1
1990	TOR	AL	2	1	3	2	0	0	0	15.2	10	7	3	3	4.02	3.86 (-4%)	-387.6
1991	SFN	NL	12	16	34	34	3	3	0	214.1	201	95	71	104	3.99	3.91 (-2%)	-2894.3
1992	SFN	NL	10	12	28	28	2	1	0	177.0	178	78	59	82	3.97	3.75 (-6%)	-3616.8
1993	SFN	NL	8	2	16	16	0	0	0	93.2	89	37	33	45	3.56	4.19 (+15%)	-1784.7
1994	SFN	NL	4	2	10	10	0	0	0	54.1	50	27	16	28	4.47	4.51 (+1%)	-1074.7
1995	CLE	AL	4	2	11	10	0	0	0	47.1	63	36	16	34	6.85	4.45 (-54%)	-505.1
Career · 17 seasons			121	116	398	296	32	12	11	2,053.1	1,978	876	623	1,039	3.84	—	-11,747

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Career Batting Statistics

Buddy Black — Career Batting Statistics
G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
400	179	6	26	4	0	0	12	0	4	49	.145	.164	.168	.332	-1,121

Career AVG .145 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — 44.0% below league average.

Career OBP .164 vs. league average .326 across their career seasons — 49.7% below league average.

Career SLG .168 vs. league average .392 across their career seasons — 57.2% below league average.

Career OPS .332 vs. league average .718 across their career seasons — 53.8% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Buddy Black Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year	Team	Lg	G	AB	R	H	2B	RBI	BB	SO	AVG	Lg AVG	Lg OBP	Lg SLG	Lg OPS	PIV
1981	SEA	AL	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1982	KCA	AL	23	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1983	KCA	AL	24	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1984	KCA	AL	35	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1985	KCA	AL	33	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1986	KCA	AL	56	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1987	KCA	AL	29	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1988	KCA	AL	17	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1988	CLE	AL	16	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1989	CLE	AL	33	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1990	CLE	AL	29	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1990	TOR	AL	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1991	SFN	NL	35	71	3	13	3	6	0	20	.183	.255 (-28%)	.323 (-43%)	.384 (-41%)	.708 (-42%)	-478.0
1992	SFN	NL	28	54	1	3	1	2	2	16	.056	.255 (-78%)	.322 (-72%)	.377 (-80%)	.699 (-77%)	-642.7
1993	SFN	NL	16	37	2	9	0	3	2	8	.243	—	—	—	—	0.0
1994	SFN	NL	10	17	0	1	0	1	0	5	.059	—	—	—	—	0.0
1995	CLE	AL	11	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
Career · 17 seasons			400	179	6	26	4	12	4	49	.145	—	—	—	—	-1,121

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

Buddy Black — Playoff Career Batting
G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
6	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	.000

Playoff Batting by Year

Buddy Black — Playoff Batting by Year
Year	Round	Team	G	AB	SO	AVG
1985	ALCS	KCA	3	0	0	.000
1985	WS	KCA	2	1	1	.000
1984	ALCS	KCA	1	0	0	.000

Playoff Career Pitching

Buddy Black — Playoff Career Pitching
W	L	G	GS	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
0	2	6	3	0	21.0	22	9	10	15	3.86

Playoff Pitching by Year

Buddy Black — Playoff Pitching by Year
Year	Round	Team	L	G	GS	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
1985	ALCS	KCA	0	3	1	10.2	11	2	4	8	1.69
1985	WS	KCA	1	2	1	5.1	4	3	5	4	5.06
1984	ALCS	KCA	1	1	1	5.0	7	4	1	3	7.20

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (798 games) →

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

Buddy Black — Batting — Home / Away
Split	G	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	AVG
Home	201	84	1	13	0	5	.155
Away	199	95	5	13	0	7	.137

Pitching — Home / Away

Buddy Black — Pitching — Home / Away
Split	G	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
Home	201	1059.1	1020	424	297	535	3.60
Away	197	994.0	958	452	326	504	4.09

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Buddy Black — Last 10 Games — Pitching
Date	Tm	Opp	Dec	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR
1995-07-09	CLE	SEA	—	2.0	3	4	4	1	2	1
1995-07-04	CLE	TEX	—	3.2	7	4	4	1	2	0
1995-06-29	CLE	MIN	W	6.0	8	3	3	1	6	0
1995-06-24	CLE	CHW	L	2.1	7	7	4	3	1	0
1995-06-17	CLE	NYY	W	6.0	6	4	4	1	2	2
1995-06-11	CLE	MIL	W	5.2	7	4	3	1	7	1
1995-06-06	CLE	DET	—	6.0	3	3	3	4	5	1
1995-06-01	CLE	CHW	W	5.0	4	2	2	1	1	1
1995-05-27	CLE	TOR	—	6.0	2	0	0	1	7	0
1995-05-21	CLE	BOS	—	2.0	9	6	6	1	0	1

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Buddy Black — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
P	398	296	89	356	13	25

Season-by-Season Fielding

Buddy Black — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1981	SEA	P	2	0	0	1	0	0
1982	KCA	P	22	14	6	12	1	1
1983	KCA	P	24	24	7	32	1	5
1984	KCA	P	35	35	13	51	2	2
1985	KCA	P	33	33	6	30	4	0
1986	KCA	P	56	4	3	21	0	1
1987	KCA	P	29	18	4	19	0	0
1988	KCA	P	17	0	0	1	0	0
1988	CLE	P	16	7	5	11	0	0
1989	CLE	P	33	32	13	33	2	3
1990	CLE	P	29	29	7	27	1	2
1990	TOR	P	3	2	0	6	0	0
1991	SFN	P	34	34	14	38	0	4
1992	SFN	P	28	28	5	37	0	4
1993	SFN	P	16	16	3	22	2	2
1994	SFN	P	10	10	3	7	0	1
1995	CLE	P	11	10	0	8	0	0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Buddy Black Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position	Games
Pitcher	398

Awards & Honors

Buddy Black — Awards & Honors
Year	Award	Notes
1984	Player of the Week	Week of 1984-09-21

Salary History

Buddy Black — Salary History
Year	Team	League	Salary
1995	CLE	AL	$350,000
1994	SFN	NL	$3,250,000
1993	SFN	NL	$2,250,000
1992	SFN	NL	$2,750,000
1991	SFN	NL	$1,750,000
1990	CLE	AL	$775,000
1989	CLE	AL	$600,000
1988	KCA	AL	$635,000
1987	KCA	AL	$600,000
1986	KCA	AL	$645,000
1985	KCA	AL	$465,000
Total Career Earnings			$14,070,000

College History

Buddy Black — College History
School Name	City	State	Years Attended
San Diego State University	San Diego	CA	1978, 1979
Lower Columbia College	Longview	WA	1976, 1977

Most Similar Players

Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.

Career Spans

Buddy Black (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

Buddy Black: the record in brief

Buddy Black played a first major league game on September 5, 1981 and a last one on July 9, 1995. Club by club, the record runs the Seattle Mariners (1981), the Kansas City Royals (1982 to 1988), the Cleveland Indians (1988 to 1995), the Toronto Blue Jays (1990), and the San Francisco Giants (1991 to 1994). Black, born on June 30, 1957, in San Mateo, CA, USA, is listed as a pitcher and batted and threw left-handed. Black's listed size is 6-foot-2 and 180 pounds. Black's full given name, per the bio, is Harry Ralston Black.

Black's career pitching line is 121 wins, 116 losses and a 3.84 ERA over 398 appearances. Black had 1,039 strikeouts, 32 complete games, 12 shutouts, and 11 saves. Black's 3.84 ERA was close to the 3.96 league figure for those seasons. No season topped the 17 wins of 1984. Among the heaviest workloads, the lowest ERA was 3.12 in 1984, when the league's was 3.81.

The awards table records Player of the Week, in 1984.

Frequently Asked Questions about Buddy Black

What years did Buddy Black play?: Buddy Black played in Major League Baseball from 1981 to 1995.
Was Buddy Black a pitcher?: Yes. Buddy Black pitched in the major leagues, recording 121 wins and 1039 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Buddy Black hit?: Buddy Black hit 0 career home runs with 26 hits.
What was Buddy Black's career batting average?: Buddy Black batted .145 over his career, with 26 hits in 179 at bats.
How many RBI did Buddy Black have?: Buddy Black drove in 12 runs in his career.
What was Buddy Black's career ERA?: Buddy Black finished with a 3.84 career ERA, going 121-116 with 1,039 strikeouts.