MILWAUKEE -- Bob Buhl, the hard-nosed, hard-throwing right-hander, who along with Warren Spahn and Lew Burdette comprised the 1957 World Series champion Milwaukee Braves' "Big Three," earned a spot alongside those teammates on Thursday when he was added to the Milwaukee Braves Wall of Honor at Miller Park.
Buhl was 109-72 with a 3.27 ERA in parts of 10 seasons for the Braves from 1953-62, making the National League All-Star team in 1960. His finest regular season was '57, when Buhl was 18-7 with a 2.74 ERA on the way to the World Series, where he didn't have the same success but got to celebrate when Series MVP Hank Aaron led Milwaukee past the Yankees in seven games.
Six times in his 10 seasons with the Braves, Buhl finished among the NL's top 10 in ERA.
"My grandfather loved the game. That's what he lived for," said Buhl's grandson, Chris Sheldon, who was among the family members on hand Thursday. "When he retired he said he never worked a day in his life because of baseball."
Buhl's plaque was the 17th added to the Milwaukee Braves Wall of Honor, which is outside the left-field entrance at Miller Park, known as the "Hot Corner." Among them was his best friend, Hall of Famer Eddie Mathews, who passed away two days after Buhl in 2001.
The installation is a collaboration between the Brewers and the Milwaukee Braves Historical Association, which works to keep the memory of the Braves' tenure in Milwaukee alive.