Charlie Buffinton

Born in Fall River, Massachusetts, Buffinton—mainly known for his brilliant sinker ball—began his career with the Boston Red Stockings/Beaneaters. He played in the days of 2- or 3-man pitching staffs and was a big part of many of his teams\' successes. From 1883 to 1885 he was one of Boston\'s two principal pitchers along with Jim Whitney; together they picked up 62 of Boston\'s 63 wins in 1883 when the Beaneaters took the pennant. Buffinton\'s best season came right after that, though, when he went 48–16 with a 2.15 ERA in 67 starts in 1884. During that season, he struck out 17 batters in one game, won 13 straight games, and ended the year with 417 strikeouts, becoming one of seven pitchers that season to break the previous record of 361. Typical of the era, he completed 63 of his starts, with 8 being shutouts. Such win totals were not completely extraordinary at the time, as Buffinton\…