Don Buford was born in Linden, TX on this day in 1937.
Buford was the O's lead off hitter and left fielder when they won the AL pennant in 1969, 1970 and 1971. They won the World Series in 1970.
Don started out with the Chicago White Sox and traded to Baltimore for the 1968 season. Overall, he was a very professional player and productive lead off hitters in 5 seasons with the O's: .270 BA and a .385 OBP. He stole 200 bases for his 10-year career with Chicago and Baltimore.
In other words, he did his job by getting on base for the power hitters coming up down the lineup. By all accounts, he was a great team guy and fan favorite.
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