Bud Black
A cerebral left-hander who transitioned from a World Series-winning pitcher to one of baseball's most respected and steady managerial minds.
Born 1957 (age 69)·American baseball player and manager·Birthday: June 30·Baby Boomers
Biography
Bud Black's baseball life is a study in sustained, understated excellence. As a pitcher, he was a durable and savvy starter, known more for his control and intelligence than overpowering stuff, helping the Kansas City Royals win the 1985 World Series. That cerebral approach became his hallmark when he moved to the dugout. After a successful stint as a pitching coach for the Angels, he took over the San Diego Padres, where his calm demeanor and knack for developing pitchers earned him Manager of the Year honors in 2010. His later tenure with the Colorado Rockies, often facing rosters built for offense in a hitter's paradise, further cemented his reputation as a steady hand who maximized his team's potential through strategic nuance.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Bud was born in 1957, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Bud Was Born
The biggest hits of 1957
#1 Movie
The Bridge on the River Kwai
Best Picture
The Bridge on the River Kwai
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Bud's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1957Born
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1962Started school
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1970Became a teenager
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1973Could drive
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1975Could vote
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1978Turned 21
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1987Turned 30
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1997Turned 40
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2007Turned 50
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Gas: $2.80/galHome: $172,600Min wage: $5.85/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Irreplaceable" — BeyonceBest Picture: No Country for Old Men
2017Turned 60
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
2026Age 69 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won the 1985 World Series as a key member of the Kansas City Royals pitching staff.
- Named the National League Manager of the Year in 2010 after guiding the San Diego Padres to 90 wins and a near-playoff berth.
- Pitched a complete-game one-hit shutout for the Cleveland Indians against the Toronto Blue Jays in 1990.
- As a coach, he was part of the Los Angeles Angels staff that won the 2002 World Series.
Did You Know?
He was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 17th round of the 1979 amateur draft as a first baseman, not a pitcher.
He is one of only a handful of people to have both played in and managed over 1,000 Major League games.
He famously called for a successful and unconventional intentional walk with the bases loaded while managing the Padres in 2008.
“A good pitcher works ahead in the count and changes speeds.”
