Bush Stadium
St. Louis Cardinals 1977
Standing Ovation
Bush Stadium
St. Louis Cardinals 1977
Standing Ovation
| Charles “Buddy” Schultz grew up in East Cleveland, Ohio where
he attended Shaw High School from1965 to 1968. He lettered in 3 sports and
was a member of the bowling team. In football he was an All City Quarterback
and was 15-1-1 in games he started. He was a starting pitcher for 4 years,
the first athlete at Shaw to letter in 4 straight years. He was All League
3 years, All City 2 years and All State his senior year. In 1968 he led
his team to the State Championship by pitching 7 of the 8 tournament games.
In those 7 games he gave up no earned runs and for the year he only gave
up 1 earned run. Due to rain he pitched both games of the semi finals and
finals on the same day. He threw 2 shutouts, giving up 3 hits and striking
out 13 in the first game and giving up 2 hits and striking out 14 in the
second game. A cramp in his left forearm in the last inning prompted the
Ohio State Athletic Association to adopt a rule limiting the number of innings
a player could pitch in one day. This rule, sometimes call the “Buddy
Schultz Rule” has assured him of a feat that no other player can ever
attain. He was drafted 71st in the nation by the Philadelphia Phillies but
chose instead to attend Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. During the summer
of 1967 to 1971 he played semi-pro baseball in Lakewood A. He was a starting
pitcher for the Airmatic/Gardner Reality Teams that consistently won Lakewood
and played often in the finals in Battle Creek, Michigan. He broke Bob Feller’s
strikeout record there by striking out 18 in 8 1/3 innings. An article from
the Plain Dealer in 1971 states that Buddy only lost twice in 4 years while
playing for Larry Gardner. Buddy attended Miami University and played 3 years of varsity baseball from 1970 to 1972. He was a starting pitcher and was All Conference 3 years. At the end of his senior year he held 5 Miami pitching records, one of them being an NCAA record. As a testament to his accomplishments, after 38 years, he is still first in 2 records, second in 1, third in one and sixth in another. He played on two nationally ranked teams, 29th in 1971 and 14th in 1972. His NCAA record, most strikeouts in a game, 26 on April 3rd, 1971 still stands and only perfection, 27 strikeouts would best his record. He was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the sixth round of the 1972 draft. He used his signing bonus to return to Miami in the winter of 1973 to finish college and receive his degree. Starting in 1972 he quickly worked his way up through the Chicago Cubs farm system. He was the number one pitching prospect in their minor league system and made his big league debut in 1975 against the St. Louis Cardinals. He threw 2 pitches, recording an out and received a victory as the Cubs scored 4 runs in the top half of the inning. He was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals in 1977 and had an outstanding year. In 40 games he pitched 85 innings, had a 6-1 record, struck out 66 and had a 2.33 ERA that was third best in the National League. On June 28th he received a standing ovation from 34,000 Cardinals fans. He had been sent to the minor leagues 10 days earlier with a 3-1 record and a 1.40 era. The ovation came after retiring 22 straight Pirates. Lifetime he had a .625 winning percentage and a 3.68 ERA in 5 years of playing. He retired in 1981 after shoulder surgery. For the last 20 years he has owned a Promotion and Marketing Company in Scottsdale, Arizona. He has worked for Walt Disney and Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus. He has produced Charity Events that have raised over 15 million dollars. Currently he is Executive Director of Arizona Baseball Charities, a group he founded 20 years ago that raises money so kids can play baseball in Arizona. In 2011 he accepted an invitation from the mayor of East Cleveland to form a charity to help children play baseball there for the first time in 24 years. In June of 2011 they will once again play little league in his home town. Baseball provided his path to success, a state championship, a college education, major league baseball, friends, business opportunities and the meeting of his wife Toby at a charity golf tournament. Together they have 4 golden retrievers and love to share life’s good fortune with friends and family. He likes the saying “The basic idea is to win” and with his wife Toby, he wins everyday. |
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