Peter Budny

Peter Budny

• Bats Right, Throws Right

• Born July 12, 1950 in Bad Dürkheim, Rhineland-Palatinate Germany

Peter Budny is a member of the German Baseball Hall of Fame.

Budny was a member of the German national team starting with the 1967 European Championship; he was 1-0 in the event with a 2.70 ERA. Germany won the Bronze Medal. In the 1969 European Championship, the teenager had a 2-0, 2.18 record while pitching 20 2/3 of Germany's 35 total innings in the event. Peter's brightest tournament was probably the 1971 European Championship. He appeared in all five of Germany's games, throwing two complete games. In 28 2/3 innings, he allowed just 4 runs (3 earned) for a 0.94 ERA, walking 7 and allowing just 12 hits. He whiffed 39 batters; no other German pitcher topped five strikeouts or 5 1/3 innings as Peter won twice and saved one game, practically carrying Germany by himself to a 4-1 record and the Bronze.

In the 1972 Amateur World Series, Germany's first global competition, Budny had a 0-4, 6.59 record for a 0-15 team. He also went 2 for 21 with 13 strikeouts at the plate. His 19 strikeouts (in 28 2/3 IP) were well ahead of the team's runner-up, former minor leaguer Claus Helmig (7 in 43 1/3 IP). Only Helmig (the first German-raised minor leaguer) had a better ERA among hurlers with over 1 inning; the team ERA was 9.84. A highlight came against the powerful Cuban national team, when he allowed only two runs in seven innings.

Still just 23 years old, Peter played in the 1973 Amateur World Series. He had a 1-1, 4.26 record and 20 strikeouts in 19 innings in the 1975 European Championship. Germany captured its sixth Bronze at a European Championship but its last until 2010.

Budny coached for Germany in the 1986 European Championship B-Pool (he also caught a game, going 0 for 3 with two strikeouts) and 1990 European Championship B-Pool.

In 2006, he was inducted into the German Baseball Hall of Fame.

As of 2010, Budny still ranks among the German national team's career leaders (not counting his stats in the 1973 Amateur World Series, which are unavailable) in ERA (3.45, 9th, just ahead of Martin Almstetter), strikeouts (103, 1st, 28 ahead of runner-up Tim Henkenjohann, a former Twins minor leaguer), wins (6, tied for first with Michael Wäller and Enorbel Marquez), losses (5, tied for third behind Claus Helmig and Henkenjohann), innings (107, 2nd to Helmig), walks (37, tied for 4th) and WHIP (1.28, 6th between Michael Otto and Frank Jäger).

Source: German Baseball Federation