About Buzz Capra
Lee William Capra (October 1, 1947 – May 11, 2026) was an American professional baseball pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves, from 1971 to 1977. Nicknamed "Buzz", by a neighbor as a child, Capra was a National League (NL) All-Star and the NL earned run average (ERA) leader in 1974. == Playing career == === Early years === Capra was a shortstop at Lane Technical College Prep High School in the Roscoe Village neighborhood on the Northside of Chicago. Besides playing shortstop, he began pitching at Illinois State University, and compiled a 17–5 record & 1.58 ERA. Capra was a team co-captain his senior year, and led the Redbirds to the 1969 NCAA Division II Baseball Championship. He was selected late in the 1969 Major League Baseball draft, by the New York Mets. Though primarily a pitcher, he played some shortstop and second base with the Pompano Beach Mets in 1969. He went 33–10 with a 2.49 ERA and 367 strikeouts, over three seasons in the Mets' farm system, to earn a September call-up in 1971. === New York Mets === In 1971, Capra made three appearances out of the bullpen, and did not allow an earned run in his first two big league appearances. However, he was not so lucky in his third appearance: Facing the St. Louis Cardinals at Shea Stadium, Capra entered the game in the tenth inning, and retired only one of the seven batters he faced, Jorge Roque, who bunted Joe Torre to second after Torre had led off the inning with a single), on his way to allowing five runs and taking his first major league loss.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.