Bud Swartz

Sherwin Merle Swartz

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 6' 2½", Weight 180 lb.
• Debut July 12, 1947
• Final Game July 27, 1947
• Born June 13, 1929 in Tulsa, OK USA
• Died June 24, 1991 in Los Angeles, CA USA

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Biographical Information

Left-hander Bud Swartz was born in Tulsa, OK, but was raised in Los Angeles, CA. He attended University High School and was a star pitcher for the baseball team. Bud pitched the team to the Greater Los Angeles scholastic title with a 7-0 record.

After graduating from high school in 1947 Swartz was pursued by six different major league clubs. Bud chose to sign with the St. Louis Browns after a family meeting with the Browns General Manager Bob DeWitt. The contract stipulated that he would pitch his first season with the Browns.

As agreed Swartz made his major league debut on July 12, 1947, pitching a scoreless ninth inning as the Browns lost a 12-2 game to the New York Yankees. Bud would appear in five games for the Brownies, with no decisions, and later in the season would be sent down to the Springfield Browns of the class B Three-I League. Bud never got another shot at the big leagues.

Bud would pitch four seasons (1948-1951) in the minors, with his best numbers coming in his final season, when he went 11-9 for the Aberdeen Pheasants of the class C Northern League. This wound up his run in professional baseball with a minor league career record of 19-23 with a 4.87 ERA while appearing in 78 outings.

Don Larsen, in his book "The Perfect Yankee", says he was signed by one Bud Swartz and played in the minors with his son, another Bud Swartz. The two were team mates on the 1949 Globe-Miami Browns in the class C Arizona-Texas League. The 20 year old Bud had a 1-3 record and the 19 year old Larsen was at 2-4. The elder Arthur (Bud) Swartz was a minor league catcher and also became a scout for the St. Louis Browns.

After professional baseball, Bud (married to Gloria), played some fast-pitch softball under the lights at the Veteran's Sepulveda Field. Again following in his dad's footsteps, Sherwin went on to successfully build and run the Roxbury Market, the first grocery store in Beverly Hills to deliver. Years later, Sherwin sold the store and opened The Roadhouse - which had two quarter pool tables, six full-size slate tables and beer - and was just down the block from the Troubadour. Many years later, he became a successful licensed California real estate agent with offices in Beverly Hills. As his last illness took hold, he began to leave behind a widely-held respect for his professional opinions and reputation.

Despite sustained efforts by doctors and patient alike, Sherwin (Bud) Merle Swartz (father to Richard, Vicky and Michael, and son of Mary and Arthur), died from a genetic kidney disease on June 24, 1991, at the old UCLA Hospital, five years after a transplant.